Monsters, All of You
by Clockwork Pheonix
Summary: A year after the nations escaped the mansion, a group of new victims arrive. The thing is, they're all identical to their predecessors. However, personality-wise, they're completely different. Steve has no idea what he just got himself into. 2p!HetaOni
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! :3 I'm back, and this time the 2p!Nations are paying Steve a little visit. By the way, I will be referring to the 2p!Nations as their human names. Reviews, please! I thrive off of your comments!

Please Note: This will not follow the exact same plot as the original HetaOni. I plan on adding several plot twists of my own.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or HetaOni. (Pfft. I wish.)

Thank You!

* * *

It began as a normal World Conference.

Well, then again, it only was as normal (read: chaotic) as any other meeting the nations had ever held.

The mayhem was, as per usual, interrupted by Germany's commanding shout. He ordered that any speaker may only have the floor for eight minutes. No interruptions.

The first to raise a hand (although hesitantly) was none other than Japan.

"Germany recognizes his ally Japan!"

Japan nodded slightly before beginning.

"I...I am aware that we have put the mansion behind us, but...I have recently heard some new rumors about it."

At the very mansion of the accursed place, the room became silent. An uneasy tension hung in the air, and Italy shuddered, pale.

Even Germany looked wary.

"Go on."

"...Apparently, several people have gone missing in that area."

None dared to speak, listening as they became increasingly uneasy. Normally, Japan wouldn't have felt the need to bring this up, so what on Earth...?

"...And...again, this is only founded on rumors, but...from their descriptions, they look exactly like us."

The silence evaporated abruptly as all hell broke loose.

"Whaat? Dude, that's not possible!"

"Not necessarily, _mon ami_~"

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU IMPLYING, FROG?"

"I-I think-"

"Who are you?"

"...I'm Canada."

"Aiyah! This is strange, aru!"

"STRANGE THINGS ORIGINATED IN KOREA, DA-ZE!" (...And there goes South Korea's one cameo xD)

"Kesesese~ There's no way anyone could copy the awesome me!"

"Veh? I-I don't want to go back there...but we can't leave them..."

"It might be possible, da?"

"There's another Roma? How cute~!"

"Shut the hell up, tomato bastard!"

Germany's eye twitched, and Japan regretted even bringing it up.

* * *

"Vehehe, looks like we're here, after all!" Feliciano smirked, staring up at the mansion.

Gilbert shrunk back slightly. "...Do we have to...?" The blonde asked uneasily.

"We might as well. Alfred and the others will be doing the same, after all." Kiku frowned, crimson eyes narrowed.

Ludwig shuddered slightly, although he tried not to show it. This place is creepy...

* * *

All four were somewhat unsettled by how clean the interior was.

"...Feliciano." Kiku began, glaring at the Italian.

"Hm~? Yes, Kiku?" Feliciano mused, covering his nervousness with a mocking smirk.

"...I thought you said that this place was abandoned."

"I thought it was~" He whined, salmon eyes showing traces of malice at being argued with.

The group looked up, hearing something break, and instinctively drew their weapons.

"This had better not be another of your tricks." Kiku snarled, and the two glowered at one another.

"It's not. I swear on my Grandpa Rome's grave." Feliciano retorted.

Kiku begrudgingly made his way down the hallway to the kitchen.

After entering, he looked around cautiously and determined that he was the only living thing in the room. He soon spotted the shattered plate and picked up a shard carefully, pocketing it.

After examining the other door and finding it locked, he headed out to the main hall and scowled.

"Cowards...I knew Feliciano was lying..." He hissed through clenched teeth before attempting to open the front door.

"Locked...damn it."

He muttered, before turning to search the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you, russia fan, HolyRomanGermany and Dogs Rule, for the good reviews! :3 Also, thanks to those of you who added this to your favorites or follows. You all rock!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Hetalia or HetaOni :(

Thank you!

* * *

Kiku looked around the room he had found himself in. It displayed several traditional Japanese items, such as body armor and swords. He then noticed a note and crouched, reading it aloud.

"_Fix the piano, repair the toilet, leave the first aid kit in the drawer on the second floor._"

He frowned after reading. What the...? What did that mean?

He shook his head. "I'll worry about that later. There are more pressing matters at hand." He straightened up and pocketed the piece of paper before making his way back to the entrance hall and trying a different direction.

This time, when he walked down the hallway, Kiku froze.

At the end of the hall was a large creature the color of burnt scones.

His breath caught in his throat as he watched it disappear behind a door.

He moved hurriedly to the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him. Unlike the rest of the house, this room was rather dusty, as if it hadn't been entered in a long time.

Interesting...

He slipped out of the door, looking both ways before returning to the main corridor and promptly climbing the stairs, deciding to put as much distance as possible between himself and that...thing.

He looked in every room, finding each either locked or uninteresting, before finally walking into the last on this floor.

He observed his surroundings before jumping in surprise, brandishing his sword as he heard movement coming from inside the wardrobe.

Ludwig climbed out rather unceremoniously.

His frown returning, Kiku took notice of his ally's shaking.

"What happened to you?" He remarked.

Not receiving a reply, Kiku lowered the weapon and let out a small groan of defeat.

"...Wait here."

* * *

He tried the tap in the kitchen. No such luck.

"Damn Feliciano..." He grumbled, following up on an old habit he and Antonio shared; blaming the Italians for everything.

* * *

"...I can't believe I'm doing this." Kiku sighed, standing over the toilet, before shaking his head, his nose wrinkled in disgust. (Not at giving his ally toilet water, but at having to therefore _stick his hand_ in previously mentioned toilet.) "...I'll just leave that as my last resort, thank you very much..."

He tried the sink, relieved to find that it worked. "Phew..." He let out a sigh of relief before starting back to the room.

* * *

"Drink this."

Ludwig nodded and downed it in one gulp before sputtering and spitting some back into the cup.

"W-Was that even water...?"

"..."

Kiku wondered briefly; if not water, _what exactly was that?_

"...Probably."

Ludwig gave him a withering look.

"...You know, you're worse than Arthur."

"...Please don't compare me to that psycho."

Ludwig chuckled, amused.

"...No, seriously. I'd rather not have Alfred after me all of the time."

"_Mein Gott_, you're paranoid..."

Kiku raised an eyebrow.

"...Says the man hiding in a wardrobe."

"...I hate you."

"Oh, don't worry, Ludwig-san. The feeling is mutual."


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the good reviews! It really means a lot to me! :D

Oh, and since HolyRomanGermany brought it up, yes I do plan on updating at least two chapters per day, since...well, let's just say the last time I tried to space out chapters, I got major writer's block for weeks, and ended up having to cut it off early. ^^''

Disclaimer: Why must you keep reminding me that I will never own Hetalia or HetaOni? D:

Thank you!

* * *

"Hey, take this."

Ludwig stated flatly, holding out a dull silver key to the Japanese man.

Kiku raised an eyebrow questioningly, and the German let out an exasperated sigh.

"I found it when I was running, okay? There's really no need to mock me."

Kiku nodded slightly, taking the key, and Ludwig made a definitely-not-hurried retreat to his safety of the wardrobe.

"Let me know if you find Narnia."

Kiku remarked jokingly before taking his leave.

* * *

"...I wonder what this key goes to..." Kiku mused, examining it, before he spotted engravings on the handle.

"Oh! Here we go: '_First floor...library_'." He pocketed the key, before heading off towards his destination.

* * *

"Wait a second...which door leads to the library...? Shit." Kiku groaned, before resolving to try each door.

* * *

After testing every door (and becoming rather disheartened at his failure), Kiku stood in front of the only remaining entry. "Oh, come on...this _has_ to be the right one." He pleaded with no one in particular, before testing out his theory. Sure enough, the key worked perfectly, letting out a satisfying click.

Kiku shoved the door open impatiently, crimson eyes widening slightly as he noticed movement in the dark room.

_Could it be...that thing from before...?_ He thought, frowning as he unsheathed his katana.

He proceeded, despite the sound of his heart pounding causing him to nearly go deaf. Damn it...! He wasn't supposed to feel fear! It simply wasn't like him! Kiku Honda did know what fear felt like! He was strong, god damn it!

He finally located a switch and looked around as the room was suddenly flooded with light. Letting out the breath he had been holding, Kiku began to leaf through the shelves, although distracted.

Deciding to abandon his search in favor of the large desk, Kiku spotted an onigri on the hard wood.

"An onigri...? What's something like that doing here?"

He frowned, deciding against eating it for now, and pocketed the food.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the library became noticeably void of heat, and a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

Kiku straightened up and turned around, ready to give the intruder a taste of his wrath. (The rest was, of course, reserved for a certain Italian) However, he was completely unprepared for the sight before him.

A large creature the color of scone, the monster towered over him in a sort of ape-like stance. What frightened him was not its grotesquely large claws, but its eyes. Oh god, its eyes. They were so indescribably dark, almost soulless, that no light shone in them. It was as if their owner had never seen the light of day...

It was the eyes that caused Kiku to behave extremely out of character.

He couldn't hide the scream that echoed out of his lungs surprisingly loudly, given the feeling of breathlessness that currently plagued him.

In an instant, the creature moved inhumanly fast, and before Kiku knew it, its face was inches from his own. The eyes seemed ready to swallow him whole...

Acting on instinct, Kiku dodged its claws at the last second, before sending his sword and fury crashing down upon the beast.

The moment of weakness created a chance of escape, and Kiku took it. He crashed into the door, wincing at the pain in his side when it didn't budge.

_Damn it! Why the hell won't it open-oh no...the key! I dropped it? Shit!_

__Kiku turned to face the creature as it righted itself, form seeming to grow with fury.

...He was going to need a bigger sword...


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hey, everyone!

Dogsrule: Haha, I was hoping someone would catch the reference! x3

Disclaimer: ...I still don't own Hetalia or HetaOni :/

* * *

Kiku smirked slightly. _Actually, this might be fun..._ He ducked, avoiding the would-be lethal blow sent his way as he sprinted forward, in the (supposed) general direction of the key. The monster turned, seeing that its attack had missed, and let out a growl.

Kiku's smirk grew. _You mad?_ (AN: Kiku you troll XD) He thought, spotting the glint of the key out of the corner of his eye. He turned, launching towards it, just as the creature swiped at him. He kicked out at it as he tripped, landing face first. However, the key was withing his reach. Feeling a surge of energy, he lunged forward and clasped his hand tightly around it before turning over onto his back and rolling out of the way of the next attack, which put a hole in the floor where his head had been moments before.

Getting to his feet swiftly, Kiku made a mad dash to the door and shoved the key into the lock, letting himself out as the creature righted itself and barreled after him. Not bothering with locking it after him, he took off running at top speed, with no particular direction in mind. He just knew that he had to escape.

The adrenaline flooding his senses gave him an overpowering burst of energy, and the smirk made yet another reappearance as he picked up speed. This feeling didn't fade until he reached the next corridor and noticed that he was not being followed anymore.

He let out a triumphant, although nervous laugh, leaning against the wall.

"Heheh, what a rush..." He chuckled, before closing his eyes to think.

_I feel like I'm forgetting something...wait-oh crap, there was another key!_

He opened his eyes again, letting out an exasperated sigh.

* * *

The room's atmosphere was significantly different...Kiku thought as he looked around. He smiled slightly, relieved that he was alone, before beginning his search for the second key.

He found the bronze object fairly quickly, but then resolved to take a short look around. He approached the nearest shelf and began scanning titles to find something of interest. Only one stood out, but that was because it had no title. He pulled it off of the shelf and began leafing through its pages.

"_To the one that will inherit my ultimate technique..._" His eyes lit up and a greedy smile spread across his face. A secret technique? Who wouldn't take a look!

He continued to read, and was pleased to see a sword technique. However, the writing after it intrigued and puzzled him.

"_However the most important thing is not in the techniques of the sword, but in the emotions you put into your fang. Besides physical strength, emotional strength is also vital in dealing powerful strikes._

_Hatred. Anger. Happiness. Love. Desires. Inner strengths that can rival even the impossible._

_Thus in order to truly master my ultimate technique, unleash your flood gate of emotions and express them through the sword!"_

"What does that mean?" He frowned slightly, eyebrows furrowed. The idea seemed somewhat impractical...oh well. He returned the book to its former dwelling before getting up and examining the new key.

"_Fourth floor, Attic._" He read.

Alright, then. Onward, to the attic!


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Hello, everyone. :) It's nice to see you all, and I'm seriously excited about the number of reviews this has been getting!

Disclaimer: ...I will never own Hetalia or HetaOni

Thank You~

* * *

"This is a pretty small floor..." Kiku muttered. Oh well. He tried the first door, to no avail, before moving on to what must therefore be the attic. As he expected, the door opened with a small click.

The Japanese man walked in and mentally noted how clean it was, like most of the not-so-abandoned mansion.

A red armchair against the wall caught his eye. It provided a stark contrast to the rest of the room, in such an way that seemed similar to blood on snow, although not nearly as elegant.

His train of thought was rather rudely interrupted by a vaguely familiar sound.

"Mokyuu~"

"...What the hell...?" Kiku frowned slightly, unable to place the source of the noise.

"Mokyuuu~"

Ah! There it was again. Luckily, this time he managed to track the sound to a cupboard in the corner of the room.

He crouched before it, wracking his brain in a futile attempt at resurrecting any knowledge he may have on the subject of the creator of that particular plea. He was also thinking about how to kill it.

Kiku rapped his knuckles against the wood cautiously.

"Mokyuu! Mokyuuu!"

The chirps became noticeably more urgent.

"Oh, I see...It's behind the shelf..." He muttered, before righting himself and pushing the shelf over, to reveal what appeared to be a mochi.

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "How did you get stuck?" He mused.

"Mokyuu!"

He reached forward and pulled as hard as he could, but the stubborn mochi would not budge from its spot on the wall.

He sighed, frustrated. "Looks like I'll have to bully Ludwig into getting you out..."

He frowned, turning to leave as he ignored the continuous cries of "Mokyuu!"

* * *

...What?

Kiku stared apprehensively at the metal door that had somehow replaced the wardrobe.

"...Ludwig must really be productive when he's scared..."

He knocked on the door, frowning slightly.

"Ludwig?"

"Kiku? What?"

Oh, good, he hadn't left yet. Looks like he wouldn't have to track too many idiots down today.

"There's a mochi stuck in the attic, and I want to kill it. I need you to get it out."

"..."

Ludwig scowled. Damn Kiku...he needed to finish the construction, and that mochi should be able to wait for a while...

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just one thing."

Kiku sighed. "What do you want?"

"I'm hungry."

"Are you serious?" Kiku scoffed. "Get Gilbert to do it. You're not my boss. And besides, who do I look like, Alfred? I don't carry food on me at all times."

"Just find me some."

Kiku growled softly under his breath. As much as he wanted to tell Ludwig exactly what he could go do with his damn food, this was the only way they could get that mochi out...

"Fine."

Ludwig opened the door a crack.

"Here."

He handed him a bottle of beer, which Japan frowned at.

"...What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

"Just take it."

* * *

Never before had Kiku been so tempted to actually give someone the toilet water. But no, as much as he would like to dip Ludwig's precious food in the vile liquid and force feed it to him, contaminating it would cause him to stoop to the level of Arthur, and he wanted nothing to do with that giggling freak.

With that in mind, he walked out of the bathroom.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Hey, everyone! :D You have no idea how loud my squeal was when I saw how many reviews this got. (Just imagine China in a Hello Kitty store) No, seriously. Your reviews made my day.

I love you guys! *Hugs*

Disclaimer: I still don't own Hetalia or HetaOni

Thank you~!

* * *

Kiku found himself pondering the subject of food while he shamelessly loitered on the first floor. He considered the kitchen, although what he had seen last time didn't exactly strike him as edible, per se. Well, then again, his exploration of it had been unfortunately brief, but...

His attention was diverted at the creaking sound of a door opening, the eeriness of it echoing through the hall.

"Huh?"

Deciding that the most polite thing to do was to make Ludwig starve for a bit, Kiku decided to investigate the source with wild abandon.

He made his way to the corridor in which he first encountered the creature, and was surprised to find the door at the end (the very same that the beast had taken shelter in) open.

Kiku tilted his head to the side, an oddly serene look on his face as his lips pulled upward in a small smile.

"Oh, so it's that room...interesting."

He mused, cautiously approaching the room.

His calm facade was harmed when the door slammed shut after him with an unnatural force that sent shivers down his spine.

It was then that he acknowledged just how _dark_ it was in there. It was the sort of darkness that, if stared at long enough without blinking, seemed to only get darker. He shivered and began feeling against the wall for a light switch, before his hand collided with what he was looking for.

He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and promptly flipped the switch without a moment's hesitation.

He immediately wished that he hadn't.

Kiku came face to face with the creature, who was standing far too close for his liking.

"Aah!" He cried out, startled, before ducking under its claws and landing in a crouching position. He kicked out at its legs and rolled out of the way as it faltered ever so slightly. He drew his weapon and quickly pulled up to his feet as a smirk flickered on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you doing something~?" He simpered, voice unknowingly laced with a false sweetness that would have put a certain 'giggling freak' 's cooking to shame.

The monster roared at him, lashing out with its claws. Unfortunately for Kiku, this took him off guard. He ducked, but barely, and dropped his talisman in the process.

_...Shit!_

His distraction did not work in his favor, and the beast attacked him, knocking him down for a moment. He rolled out of the way of its next attack and clutched the talisman tightly.

He was shocked to feel a warmth unlike no other pulsing through him at the touch of the object. The creature took advantage of his distraction and hit him, the impact causing him to become airborne and hit the wall, accidentally discarding his katana.

He grimaced in pain, glaring daggers at the thing.

The monster seemed to register its apparent victory and loomed over him with what appeared to be a near mirror image of his own smirk.

"...Damn." He muttered, grip tightening on the talisman.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Hey, guys. :) I hope you enjoy the new chapter~!

Disclaimer:...Do I really need to say it at this point? :/

* * *

"YoU… WOn'T… EsC…cape…" The creature rasped, sending a chill through Kiku yet again.

"Akuryou Taisan!" He shouted, commanding the talisman.

When the attack occurred, Kiku forced himself into motion, dodging swiftly, before launching himself at the creature and slamming the talisman into its chest as hard as he could. He fell back as his opponent was bathed in a pulsating red light as it cried out in agony.

Too fatigued to move, Kiku smirked wryly, a tired expression on his face. He let out a dry chuckle of triumph. "Looks like you lose..."

In a sudden burst of fury at his smugness, the creature slammed its claws into the light switch, flooding the entire room with an all-consuming darkness.

In the darkness, Kiku felt a pang of fear, knowing that it would be easy for it to finish him off now...

His terror proved unnecessary when the light returned, to reveal...nothing. He was alone.

Kiku laughed, severely relieved as he leaned against the wall.

"Haha...you had me there...for a second...heh..."

* * *

_I should probably hurry before Feliciano gets homicidal...again...like he does every time he's left alone for too long...brat._

After what seemed like hours of just lying there, Kiku set his hand against the wall to steady himself as he stood, before going to retrieve his katana, sheathing it.

He takes the opportunity to examine the room and is now aware of it being a bathroom. He spots a key in the tub and claims it.

"_Bedroom Four, Second Floor_"

* * *

As the doors were not marked, Kiku was forced to try each one. Luckily, he found bedroom four on his second try, hearing the now familiar click. He pushed it open.

He spotted a very familiar nation crouching between the two beds. Gilber.

Locking the door behind him, the Japanese man approached his ally.

Gilbert panicked when he heard someone enter the room.

_Oh god what do I do? I thought I'd locked it...!_

Suddenly, the more...bloodthirsty side of him took over and he turned, lashing out at Kiku with a crazed look in his eye. The blade halted abruptly over the Japanese man's heart as he realized who the intruder was and dropped it, a sheepish expression on his face.

"Oh...it's just you..._please don't hurt me; I'm so sorry..._" He whimpered, his fear taking over.

Kiku rolled his eyes. "Gilbert, if I was going to mercilessly slaughter you, I would have done it when your back was turned. If you continue to apologize, though, I might just reconsider." He replied.

Gilbert flinched at his ally's harsh words.

"D-Did you see the monster?"

"Of course I did. How the hell could I possibly miss it?" Kiku snapped, thoroughly pissed off. (Although more so at the one who had brought them there than at the Prussian.)

"...Where's Ludwig?"

"Behind an iron door, probably doing things I'd rather not get the mental picture of. Speaking of, do you have any food? He's being too much of an ass to help me kill a mochi unless I feed him."

''...Can I have something to drink...?" Gilbert asked, after Kiku's first statement, interrupting his Ludwig-rant.

Kiku's eye twitched.

"My god, Gilbert-san...you two really _are_ the same..."

Gilbert visibly perked at the prospect of no longer being inferior to his younger brother.

"Really?"

"That's not a good thing."

"...Oh."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Hey everyone! ^.^ Updates might be a little slow for a bit, since I've been having writer's block a bit lately...but I'll try to continue this as much as possible, despite the amount of open fanfics. Oh, yeah, and for some reason my spellcheck's not working...I'm really sorry if I miss any typos. Please bear with me, guys...

Disclaimer: Seriously, though, I don't think it really needs to be said at this point...

Thank You!

* * *

"So where are the others?" Gilbert asked, thirstiness forgetten for the moment (as Kiku refused to give him any beer; now was **not** the time).

"Like I said before, Ludwig doing who-knows-what behind some iron door, and Feliciano's off being his usual crazed douchebag self."

The Prussian flinched slightly.

"Don't you even start going on about suicide again. If you do, I swear to god..."

"...It's not that..."

"Than what?" Kiku frowned.

"...What if the monster got him...?"

Kiku let out an annoyed sigh.

"...Gilbert, Feliciano initiated us into the axis by tying us up in his basement and torturing us to death, then treated us to pasta when we came back to life. And _we're_ his friends. I doubt that thing has anything on him."

"Yeah..."

"Come on, let's go get Ludwig."

They started to the door, but paused, hearing footsteps.

"Do you hear something...getting _closer_?" Gilbert whimpered.

Kiku nodded, shushing him as he drew his sword.

_The footsteps aren't familiar...doesn't sound like Ludwig or Feliciano...must be the creature._

"Gilbert. Weapon. Now."

Gilbert nodded after a moment of confusion, readying his sword as the two listened, one anxious and the other bloodthirsty.

The footsteps stopped, as if the monster had halted. Both nations tensed, not daring to breathe.

For a moment, there was nothing but a terrifying silence. Just then, the doorknob began shaking violently as a rattling sound plagued the room.

Gilbert let out a cry of fear, cowering.

"Damn it, Gilbert, calm down. I locked it; it can't get in."

The rattling increased, becoming harsher, before an abrupt silence filled the room. The duo stayed completely silent for what seemed like hours before Gilbert looked at Kiku anxiously.

"Is it gone?"

"I think so. Come on."

Both relaxed somewhat, before moving to open the door.

Gilbert let out an ungodly shriek at what he saw. The creature loomed over them ominously, its very being letting off an aura of frightening intimidation that could rival that of Sweden or Russia.

"...Shit." Commented Kiku.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note:I'm sorry for making the last chapter so short, but I just love pre-battle cliffhangers~ /shot. My spell check's still all messed up...gah...

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

* * *

The grey grotesque sliced its claws through the air towards them with an excited gusto. Kiku pulled Gilbert out of the way just in time; judging by angle, the hit would have been fatal.

"I thought it left...!"

"Well, obviously not." Remarked Kiku.

The nations fled to the room as the monster blocked the doorway.

"Aah, it's scary!"

"Gilbert. Do I really need to do it?"

"Do what? Oh..."

"Murder. Murder and killing. Blood. Guts. Gore. Kill it now!"

Gilbert smirked maliciously as his more bloodthirsty self set in.

"I still find it unsettling when you go into that killer-mode..." Kiku commented to himself as Gilbert attacked the creature eagerly.

Well, at least now he wasn't being suicidal and whining...seems murder was the key to get him to do anything productive...

_Wait...the key!_

"We need to lock it in here!"

The interruption caused his more vicious side to evaporate.

"Huh? Oh, right!"

The monster apparantly understood, attacking Kiku with intent to kill.

Both jumped away in opposite directions, and, as the thing was focused on Kiku, Gilbert took this as an oppurtunity to slice through its back mercilessly.

His target let out a howl and swatted him away like a fly.

Unfortunately, he didn't recover very quickly, and collided with the ground very hard. He let out a cry of pain, unable to concentrate.

"Gilbert!" Kiku shouted, enraged. _Why you little...!_

_**Unleash your**** emotions**_

_Don't tell me what to do...!_

Kiku lunged at the monster, slashing at it furiously.

_You stupid, disgusting piece of shit!_

He mentally insulted his victim, shifting his wrists for one final hit, and plunged his sword into its flesh.

The wounded monster stumbled away towards the general direction of the wall before collapsing.

Panting, Kiku glanced over at Gilbert.

"Gilbert-san... are ...you done being stupid?" He asked between breaths.

Gilbert flipped him off weakly, struggling to his feet despite his body's protests, before the pair left the room exhaustedly.

"...Uh...Kiku?"

"Wha-oh shit."

Kiku turned to see the beast righting itself.

"YoU… WOn't… Ess… Cape… You… _CAnNoT_… EsCApe…"

Kiku slammed the door, quickly locking it, and stepped away as it rattled violently.

"Pfft. What now?"


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Hey, everyone :3 It's been a little while. I'm sorry for delaying a bit, but...well, I was playing the Amnesia custom mod 'The Small Horse'. For those of you who have played it, I doubt more needs to be said. (*shivers* I will never look at Fluttershy the same way again...) On a lighter note, my spell check's working again! :D

Disclaimer: *sigh*

Thank You!

* * *

"So, here's Ludwig's 'fortress'." Kiku explained, gesturing to the iron door.

Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Looks pretty solid. What the hell has he been doing back there?"

"...Are you sure you wanna know?"

"...No." Gilbert shuddered. "Man, you are sick..." He paused, before speaking up. "Uh...West? You in there...?"

What the? Ludwig blinked, slightly surprised at his brother's voice. "Gil?" He opened the door. _...I would have thought he'd have killed himself at least once by now...impressive._ He commented to himself.

"So what happened?"

Kiku piped up irritably. "The monster happened. You know, we had to fight for our lives while you were in there, doing whatever it is you do when you're not being Feliciano's boy-toy."

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "...I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that..." He paused, thinking. "Hey, speaking of which, where is Feliciano?"

"How should I know?"

"You're the one running around out there. How have you not seen him at least once?"

The Japanese man faltered slightly for a moment, but he promptly flipped his ally off.

"Well, whatever. Are we going to go after the mochi or not? I want to kill it, and if we take too long I might resort to killing you two instead."

Gilbert shivered.

"Y-Yeah, West, I think we should get going..."

"Fine, fine. I'm done here for now, but can we come back once in a while?"

Kiku shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

* * *

The trio stared intently at the mochi, which quivered slightly.

"Hey, Kiku." Gilbert glanced at his ally warily.

"Yes, Gilbert-san?"

"You are a sick, sick person. Why the hell would you want to kill it?" Gilbert demanded, glaring at him.

"...Because it's fun. Do you have a _problem_ with that?" He stared at him, challenge spelled out clearly in his crimson eyes.

The Prussian whimpered, cowering behind his younger brother.

"Please stop scaring the suicidal maniac, Kiku."

Kiku pouted. "But that's no fun at all..."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: Bleh. Damn heat...=_='' I'm sitting in front of a fan and it's still too hot...Anyways, I'd like to introduce my friend, Kate, who has agreed to act as my editor (well, she was kind of my editor before, she just didn't really want to be acknowledged for some reason.) _(Kate: I'm a motherfrakking ninja~!)_ from this chapter forward. Thanks, Kate! :)

_Kate: Pfft. Alice, please. You make it sound like I actually do anything. All I ever do is read this stuff before you post it and give your writing the stamp of approval (or the ban hammer). My job's easy. (Mainly because you won't let me write smut... D: Oh, the humanity!) Besides, if I stay over at your house when you write, I get free snacks! :D_

ಠ_ಠ FFFFFFFFF-

Disclaimer: I still don't own it

Thank You!

* * *

Ludwig attempted (and failed) to pull the mochi out of the wall, but whether the small creature was staying stuck on purpose or not, it refused to budge.

Kiku let out a groan of impatience.

"How long does it take you to pull a mochi out of a freaking wall?!" He scowled slightly in annoyance.

Ludwig paused, turning to face him.

"You know, you could help!"

"What? Hell no."

The German's eye twitched.

"Well then, give me a tool."

Kiku's face flushed red.

"A WHAT?!"

Ludwig facepalmed. "I meant something to get the mochi out of the wall."

"...Oh. Whatever, I guess I'll go look."

"I...think I'll stay here." Gilbert offered courageously.

"Good." Kiku nodded. One crazy idiot running around was enough for a lifetime.

* * *

After closing the door behind him, Kiku debated as to where he should search first. _Oh, that's right..._ he remembered. There was that door...

"Oh, right, I haven't checked there yet..." He mused, nodding slightly before setting off.

* * *

Kiku opened the door at long last, finding that the decor was rather plain; anticlimactic even. Against the wall, two beds resided peacefully. Opposite them, he located a decently sized sitting area that could hold a family of medium population. Unfortunately, the drawers of the cupboard nearest to him held nothing of immediate interest.

Giving up his conquest of the cupboard, Kiku noticed a rather odd apparatus-a panel sticking out of the wall across the vast room. Deciding to investigate this interesting turn of events, the Japanese man set his sights on his new target.

His inquiry was abruptly delayed upon sight of a scrap of paper mostly covered by the soft cushions of the sofa. He promptly retrieved it from its hiding place before considering it as nonchalantly as one could possibly be with not only a grey something but a crazed Italian on the loose.

Upon careful surveillance, the paper appeared to have been torn in half, if the ragged edge was anything to go by. It sported a rather odd pattern; two rectangles bordered in a uniform of green and blue respectively.

Kiku frowned slightly at the oddity-after all, what purpose could it possibly have in this situation?-but pocketed it nonetheless.

Returning to the original subject of interest, he observed that said panel was crowed with a lever, its three possible options stating only 'Heaven', 'Earth', and 'Hell', if read from top to bottom. Interesting...

He decided to see for himself what the inscriptions meant, taking the offending lever in hand and thrusting it to its middle position.

The click that resounded throughout the drab room, however, did not originate from the panel, nor from Korea. Yong Soo would certainly be displeased at this turn of events.

The source of the small noise turned out to be a grey key colliding with the hard wood floor. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be the master key to the entire second floor.

_Yes...!_

He cheered silently, feeling genuine excitement wash over him at the prospect of entertaining his curiosities about said floor.

This feeling of intense curiosity was apparently here to stay for the time being, as became evident the moment Kiku set his sights rather greedily on the lever. He brought it down to 'Hell', immediately regretting his choice of actions when the room began to shake violently.

Acting on instinct, he braced himself against the wall and waited for what appeared to be an earth quake to fade.

Across from him, one of the beds shifted to the right, and the moment it completed its little journey, the room halted in its rapid shaking.

Kiku took a tentative step in the direction of the offending furniture and, when nothing happened, crouched down a few feet away from what appeared to be a hole in the floorboards. Peering down into its depths in an Alice-esque manner, he discovered the destination below to be another room, clad in a shade of white that tended to be hard on the eyes when stared at for long periods of time.

Wasting no precious hesitation in his descent, Kiku leaped down the metaphorical 'rabbit hole', eagerly greeting 'Wonderland' as he braced for impact.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Nice to see you all. ^.^ I'm seriously excited for the Allies (and 2p!Italy)...it's probably because I actually have experience writing them, particularly Alfred and Arthur. Haha, this is gonna be fun~

Disclaimer: I doubt it needs to be said by this point

Thank You!

* * *

With all the grace of a ninja, Kiku landed in a crouching position. He examined his surroundings, straightening up as he recovered from the slight shock of impact. He appeared to be in a music room, if the grand piano was anything to go by.

In fact, there didn't appear to be much here. He let out a small sigh of disappointment, excitement deflated.

"What a shame..."

When he moved on from the music room, he found himself dealing with a choice. Left or right?

"Ugh, I really don't have time for this..."

He removed one sandal, positioning it upright on the floor. Unsupported, it fell to the left. Slipping it back on, Kiku nodded slightly. Looks like he didn't have to decide...

He made his way to the left door, and was pleasantly surprised to find it unlocked. Upon opening it and stepping into the room, he discovered that it held what appeared to be a resource reference room.

He was slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of genres, although this calm, contented atmosphere shattered s moment later. All of a sudden, two knives became airborne and flew at his head. Kiku managed to duck in time, scowling, and drew his sword, irritated by the taunting laugh of his attacker.

"Veheheh, your reflexes are as good as ever, huh?" Mused Feliciano, stepping out of the shadows with a toothy grin on his face. "It's good to see that you're alive, Kiku~"

"I'm afraid that I can't exactly say the same, Feliciano-san."

The Italian pouted. "You're so mean, Kiku~! And here I was, hoping for a heart warming reunion..."

Kiku's eyes narrowed slightly.

"With no due respect, I'd like if we could get moving. The others are waiting."

"Well, why didn't you say so? I've been wanting to see my favorite toy! How is he?" Chirped the Italian, the usual false innocence in his tone returning at the prospect of being reunited with Ludwig.

"I suppose he's fine, if his usual behavior could be called it. Gilbert's still terrified of your rampages."

A look of nostalgia flickered across Feliciano's expression, although, since it vanished just as quickly, Kiku may have imagined it. The Italian turned to leave the room, back now turned to Kiku.

"Well, that's good to hear. If either of my precious play things were damaged, I fear I would have had to unleash my wrath on everyone I met~"

Kiku shivered slightly. That statement felt like a threat, directed at him in particular. The Italian Empire could definitely scare even him sometimes...

"Right..."


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: Yay~ Feliciano's here~! Haha, sorry, I just love this guy.

By the way, now that I think about it, that last line Feliciano said in the last chapter kinda reminds me of Russia...is it just me?

Disclaimer: I still don't own 'em.

Thank You!

* * *

Ludwig groaned.

"Ugh, this damn mochi's probably not going to come out..." He muttered, scowling. "Stupid Kiku..." He righted himself, glaring at Gilbert, who was staring at the mochi intently.

Shaking his head slightly at his brother, Ludwig decided to look around for anything he could use to free the mochi.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to find anything, and opened the door to the closet in order to check. He spotted a small wooded box lying on the ground and picked it up, frowning slightly as he turned it over in his hands, a bored expression on his face.

He could hear something metallic rattling around in the box, but it was locked, so even if it was a tool, it wouldn't do him any good.

All of a sudden, the temperature seemed to drop at an alarming rate. Abandoning the box, Ludwig whipped out a pistol and jumped back from the closet.

Gilbert looked up from the mochi questioningly and followed his brother's gaze. He froze when he saw the intimidating outline of the monster.

He jumped to his feet skittishly, eyes wide, and drew his sword as quickly as possible. The black claws of the beast gripped the door of the closet, leaving gashes in the wood, before the form of the monster followed it.

The mochi's cries became urgent. "Mokyuu! Mokyuu!" It cried fearfully as the creature regarded the German duo with malice.

Ludwig felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as the monster's soulless eyes bore into his own. The trance was broken quickly, however, when, in unison, the claws swung out at him and a gunshot resounded through the room.

* * *

_I was floating in an endless abyss, enveloped in nothing and the darkness. The silence was overwhelming, made worse because I may have been blind. I didn't know. It was too dark to tell, after all. Besides, I felt so numb, to the extent that I couldn't hear my own thoughts clearly. _

_Ahead of me, the darkness was tinted by a spot of red, growing more every second in an ominous contrast to the numbness.  
_

_Blood.  
_

_Blood everywhere.  
_

_Blood on me, blood on the darkness, blood on...  
_

_Ahead of me, I spot a figure sprawled out of the ground-one that I never thought I would see. After all, he was simply too strong for that. Right?  
_

_I take a hesitant step forward, then another, until I am staring down at my brother's mangled corpse.  
_

_A scream escapes my lungs at last.  
_

* * *

Lovino jolted awake, nearly falling back from the table.

He caught himself before he could hit the floor, however, and returned the chair to its more natural position, breathing heavily. He looked down at himself, relieved to find his fashionable clothes unstained, even more so to find that he could see again. He looked up into the irritated eyes of Antonio, sitting across from him.

"What are you screaming about?" The Spaniard growled, dark eyes narrowed in contempt.

"Huh...? Oh, sorry, Toni, it was nothing."

"Yeah? Your 'nothing' sounded pretty damn loud to me."

"Well, actually, I think it was _mi fratello_'s memories."

A low groan escaped his companion.

"No no no, I am not getting myself involved with that lunatic again. Screw that shit." He stood up, walking out without another word.

Lovino watched him leave, slightly less shaken. At least Toni was acting normal...


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note: Hello again, everyone~! :) Nice to see you. I've been listening to 'le internet medley' on loop for over an hour now, so my brain is currently filled with memes. (U MAD BRO?!)

_Kate: Don't you dare. You're supposed to be the sane one here, Alice._

You have been warned.

(ಠ_ಠ All your reviews are belong to us. )

_Kate: STOP MAKING THESE REFERENCES GORRAMIT _*flips table*

Disclaimer: I still don't own it (true story *shot by Kate*)

_Kate: I apologize for my friend's behavior. She isn't normally this idiotic. Please disregard this entire author's note and read on to the chapter. _=_=

Thank You!

* * *

As they made their way up the stairs, Kiku begrudgingly explained the happenings he had missed up to this point. The broken plate, Ludwig and the door, the library, as well as each sighting of the creature. When he got to the mochi, Feliciano shot him a rather odd look, far more intense than any other expression he had possessed during the explanation.

"_What?_ There's a mo-whatever stuck in the wall? How the hell did I not-" He cut himself off, falling silent. "Never mind."

Kiku frowned slightly, shooting him a withering look. "Hai...?" He muttered, apparently too annoyed to care about the Italian's little slip-up.

The Japanese man pushed open the door, exhausted.

"What on Earth-" His eyes widened upon seeing the thing, which was cornering a terrified Gilbert while Ludwig was in the process of drawing his weapon.

"You two?! Oh, _perfect_."

"Oh, hi, Luddy~! How are you holding up?" Chirped the Italian, glaring pointedly at the monster.

"Do you want our help or not?" Kiku interrupted.

"Ja. Just shut up and help me kill this abomination."

A crazed smirk spread across Feliciano's face. He let out a dry, humorless laugh as he replied.

"Well, of course, Luddy~! I love the smell of dying garbage in the morning~" He mused cheerfully, eyes narrowed in a sort of malicious excitement that sent chills up Kiku's spine.

The Italian Empire drew five very small, although deadly knives, holding them in such a way that they resembled a feline's claws. Although they alone did not seem too lethal, Kiku had seen those very knives stained with the blood of many the fellow country, himself included.

"Oh, the nostalgia..." Feliciano purred under his breath, smirk growing at the small indication of recognition in the abyss-like eyes of the beast.

Kiku muttered an incantation, which, when directed at the monster, caused a large blast, knocking everyone back by several feet.

He grimaced slightly at the indignant cries of his allies, ducking out of the way as the monster lunged for him, roaring, "DIE!"

Feliciano flicked several knives at the creature with frightening accuracy, jumping out of the way when it attacked him.

"Haha, this never gets old~"


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note: Alright, sorry for my spazziness earlier. I'm better now.

_Kate: You'd better be. We don't need you scaring the readers! _

Oh shut up.

Anyways, given our two day absence, some of you may have questions, such as 'Where have you been for the last two days?', 'Why the hell did you end the last chapter in the middle of a fight scene?', or 'What is the primary function of a rubber duck?'. The answers to these questions are simple. I was watching Baccano, I got lazy, and the rubber duck exists so that _they_ can find you. Who are they? Well, let me tell you, the real creators of what we _think_ is reality are-**[THE PREVIOUS AUTHOR'S NOTE HAS BEEN CENSORED BY 4KIDS IN ORDER TO PROTECT YOUR SANITY, AS CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND OBSCURE MOVIE REFERENCES ARE HARMFUL TO CHILDREN. PLEASE DISREGARD EVERYTHING THAT WAS JUST SAID BY THE AUTHOR. REMEMBER, SUCH THINGS AS DEATH DO NOT EXIST IN AMERICA. PEOPLE JUST GO TO THE SHADOW REALM. FRIENDSHIP.]**

_Kate:...I step out for one minute and this is what happens...?! Damn it..._

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. D: (Or 4Kids. ^^'' I've just been watching _way _too much of the Matrix lately, and it's been getting me even more paranoid than usual.)

* * *

Kiku slashed at the monster again with his katana as Ludwig fired several bullets into its abdomen. After receiving a knife to the head from a certain Italian, it finally vanished, leaving the group of four exhausted.

"It really _is_ a ghost..." Feliciano mused, staring intently at the spot the monster had disappeared from with a rather unsettling look on his face.

Gilbert shuddered, biting his lower lip in anxiety.

The Italian seemed to catch sight of Ludwig at last, smirk growing as a rather smug, triumphant look passed over his face, almost as if he were gloating. Kiku noticed this look and frowned slightly, confused.

''Vehehe, looks like you made it, Luddy~! I'm so glad. I'm not sure _what_ I would do without my favorite toy~" Feliciano sneered, eying the German almost hungrily.

Ludwig rolled his eyes, used to being referred to as a play-thing by this point.

Kiku interrupted the little moment by clearing his throat rather noisily.

"Yes, Kiku~?" Mused the Italian with a false sweetness to his tone as he turned a slightly malicious gaze to the Japanese man, who stared right back stubbornly.

"I think we should move to a safer room." He stated rather bluntly.

"Maybe so, but we should rest here for a moment and catch up. Don't you agree, Gilly?" Fixing the Prussian with a glare, Feliciano replied, smirk unfaltering.

"Uh, y-yeah..."

"Hey, I think I found something..."

All heads turned to Ludwig, whom pulled out the box from before.

Kiku studied Feliciano's expression curiously, noticing an angered look pass through his features for a split second before he smirked.

Turning his attention to the box, Kiku noted that it seemed ordinary.

"I don't see what's so special about it..." He commented flatly.

"...That's exactly what the box _wants_ you to think. I say we keep it." The Italian retorted.

"...Are you serious...?" Kiku stared at him dubiously.

"Si."

The Japanese man facepalmed.

"Sorry to interrupt, but could we please go...?" Gilbert whimpered.

"I agree with mein bruder. We've been in here long enough." Ludwig added, purple eyes narrowed as he attempted to stare down Feliciano.

* * *

The group stood in one of the second floor rooms. Kiku pocketed a box of matches that were left on the table as Ludwig and Gilbert tried the television without success.

He noticed Feliciano in one of the corners of the room, rummaging through who-knows-what. The Italian righted himself.

"I found a first aid kit..." He tilted his head to the side slightly.

Kiku raised an eyebrow. "Well take it, but don't waste it."

* * *

They found themselves in what appeared to be a dining room, if the fireplace and long table were anything to go by.

Feliciano nodded slightly in approval, while Ludwig looked around.

"Veheh, I think we should stay here for now~"

And so it was decided, as none dared to question the Italian Empire, lest face his wrath. Besides, they had been through initiation, and the consequences would likely be worse.


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: Holy crap, over 50 reviews...?! Thanks so much, you guys! :D

_Kate: Thank you, everyone :) We'll try to keep our AN spazziness to a minimum from now on, so let's get on with the chapter!_

Disclaimer: I don't own anything ;A;

* * *

Gilbert frowned slightly, shivering. "It's so cold in here...hey, can we light the fireplace?"

Kiku tossed him the box of matches, which he caught clumsily. "Here. Try not to kill us all by accident."

The Prussian nodded and lit the matches. Soon the room was filled with warmth from the fireplace.

"Aah, that's so much better..." He let a contented sigh.

Kiku nodded in agreement. "Thank god. I'm sick of being chased by that thing..."

"Aw, that's no fun~" Feliciano mused. "C'mon, Kiku, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Arigato, but I'd rather not die."

"Pfft. Death is nothing. You'd just get reborn, anyways." Ludwig rolled his eyes.

Feliciano shook his head slightly. "I have to disagree. It seems like this place is changing things."

"Y-Yeah, I've felt that too..."

Gilbert nodded.

Feliciano shrugged. "No matter. Besides, I should be able to kill that thing soon enough."

"And why is that?" Kiku raised an eyebrow.

"Because I'm the one it's been targeting the most, silly~!" Feliciano chirped cheerfully, as if it was completely normal.

"What?" Ludwig look at him dubiously.

"You heard me~ Why, does that upset you, Luddy?"

Ludwig blanched. ''Oh shut up."

"Can we please move on now? I'd like to get out as soon as possible." Kiku interrupted.

Ludwig frowned. "Wait, so how are we gonna do things here?"

Gilbert raised a hand shakily. "Uh, why don't we just make our own exit?"

Feliciano smirked. "Good idea, Gilly~" He paused before continuing. "The only problem with that little theory is that, given our lack of supplies, it would take too long.

"...Oh."

"Excuse me, but I don't think we should dismiss this so quickly. It could work." Kiku replied, receiving a glare from Feliciano and a grateful look from Gilbert.

"I have to say I agree. We shouldn't dismiss any possible method of escape." Ludwig nodded.

Feliciano looked like he would desire nothing more than to kill them both right then and there, but he obliged. "...Very well." He sneered.

"I think we should sleep for now." Kiku added.

"Ja, but someone is going to have to keep watch." Ludwig nodded.

"I say we play janken to decide this."

Feliciano raised an eyebrow. "Jan-ke?" He asked questioningly.

Kiku felt a pang of triumph at hearing him unable to pronounce it.

"You play by showing three types of hand signs..." He began to explain, secretly delighting in the fact that none of the others had any idea of what he was talking about. It was a refreshing change.

"...'guu' beats 'choki'. You can use either of those, as well as 'paa'."

"Sounds like la morra..." Feliciano grumbled, sounding slightly irritated at the slight inconvenience.

The group gathered around the table before simultaneously making the hand signs.

* * *

Gilbert could have soiled himself out of fright.

He had been chosen as the unlucky guard, and now sat anxiously on the table with his sword in his hands as the others slept.

"Waah, Feliciano just pressured me into picking 'choki'...scary son of a..." His whimpers were interrupted by the doorknob rattling violently.

It took all he had to bite back a girly scream.

"No...not now..." He got up, shaking in terror, and started towards the door.

((AN: And now...the moment you've all been waiting for...))

* * *

_You cannot easily set foot into that 'mysterious mansion' in town. For if you anger it's former...or current occupants...you will not get away lightly. Especially when there are no people around..._

* * *

"Ugh, this is so stupid...why the hell are we here again?" Alfred scowled.

"Aw, c'mon, Alfie, this will be fun, love~!" Arthur smirked playfully, blue (or were they pink...?) eyes flashing with what could either be excitement or blood lust.

"Hm...I wonder how those humans died...hopefully it was bloody..." Francis mused, expression stoic.

"Can we hurry up here? I'd like to catch my Chinese dramas, god damn it, aru." Yao complained, glaring at the three of them.

Ivan rolled his eyes. "This is so boring..." He scowled slightly.

Matt crossed his arms, eyes narrowed in irritation as he pushed to the front of the group.

"All of you shut the fuck up and get in there." He snarled, giving them all a look that could kill a normal human.

All obliged.


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Note: Hey guys. :3 Since the Allies have finally arrived, what do you say about another chapter? Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothingggg~

* * *

"Is it just me, or does the air feel thinker in here?" Francis raised an eyebrow, frowning.  
Yao nodded slightly. "It's not just you, aru." He remarked, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "I don't like it here. I think I'll just go home, aru." He started for the door and attempted to open it. It was locked. Four heated glares settled on Alfred and Arthur.

Matt scowled. "Al, please don't tell me you're behind this. I swear to god, if you are, I will murder you."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Please. If I was plotting to kill you all again, I would have done it by now. Dumbasses."

The rest of the group turned their glares onto Arthur, receiving one in return from Alfred, who growled under his breath.

The Englishman laughed. "Oh, you lot think _I_ planned all of this? Well, I'm flattered that you think so much of little old me, but this sort of thing isn't my style, love~" He smirked.

"In any case, I think we should check the other floors." Ivan remarked, expressing his utter boredom through a yawn.

"I agree. I want to see if the corpses are still here..." Francis nodded in agreement.

"Ugh, you're so morbid, aru..." Yao commented, rolling his eyes.

"...Like you aren't."

"True."

Matt glowered at the two of them. "Can we get moving?"

"Oh, right." Francis nodded. "How shall we decide this?"

"Hm~ I think I'll look on the second floor, love~"

"I'm going with him." Alfred added, glaring at any possible opposition.

"...Right. Yao can come with you, and Matthew, Ivan, and I will search down here." Francis replied.

* * *

((AN: ...Before I get flames for changing around the order of who goes with who, I only did this so as to fit my 2p! headcanons, such as Alfred being over-protective/Belarus-like to Arthur.))

* * *

"Haha, it's so clean~!" Arthur commented, looking around with the air of someone plotting murder. Yao shivered slightly. "I thought this place was supposed to be abandoned..." He frowned.

Alfred shrugged. ''I hope it's not. I've never killed a monster before..."

"Love, wait your turn~"


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note: =_='' I'm sorry that the last chapter was so short...blah...I hate being sick...

Disclaimer: ...I own nothing ;u;

* * *

"Do you two smell something burnt, aru?" Yao asked, frowning. Arthur tilted his head to the side.

"Why yes, I do, love~" He mused, smirking sinisterly.

Alfred shot another glare Yao's way, and the Chinese man scowled back at him. "Fine, I'll check it out, aru." He muttered irritably before heading after the source of the smell.

Yao pushed the door open, walking inside.

* * *

Arthur smirked at Alfred. "Shall we look around some more by ourselves, love~?"

The American nodded in agreement, and the two set off, leaving Yao.

* * *

The duo found themselves in what appeared to be a library, which was filled with more books than either had seen in one place in a while.

Arthur tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "Well, that's odd~"

"What is it?"

"This room is spotless, but it feels like somebody died in here..."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I don't feel anything."

"Positive, love~"

"Hey, there's another flight of stairs." Alfred commented.

Arthur's smirk grew as he opened the door, relishing in the distinctly overwhelming smell of faded blood.

"Lovely~"

He walked in, heading towards the piano with Alfred staying back by the doorway, keeping watch.

The Englishman chuckled softly, noting what appeared to be a puzzle on the piano keys.

The two of them stayed in there for a few minutes while Arthur attempted to solve the puzzle. He couldn't.

"Aw, well that's a shame~" He pouted before shrugging his shoulders, hopping off of the piano seat, and joining Alfred at the door.

The two of them spotted another set of stairs and started up, soon finding themselves in a bedroom.

As Alfred was commenting to himself that it seemed rather odd for such a dead house to even have a bedroom, Arthur noticed something in the corner. A lever.

"Up is heaven, middle is earth, down is hell?" The American raised an eyebrow in puzzlement as he read the plaque aloud.

"Better not move it down, love~"

* * *

The last room was an office, but Arthur thought it had a different feel to it.

His eyes lit up at the red chair in the corner. "My my my, I never thought I'd see this chair again~" He mused under his breath.

Alfred frowned. "There doesn't seem to be anything here..."

Arthur suddenly got a bizarre look in his eye. "Let's make use of the bedroom then, love~!" He chirped.

Alfred facepalmed, blushing. "...Fine."

* * *

Yao glanced around the room. This was definitely where the smell was coming from, but...he caught sight of something in the fireplace out of the corner of his eye and crouched down in front of it.

What he pulled out was very familiar, although the red stains in it certainly weren't.

"Kiku's clothes...? Covered in..."


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note: Hey, everyone! :3 Sorry for the lack of updates, but I'm better now. Just a warning, after the 25th updates will be kinda slow, as that's when school will be starting for me...bleh.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

* * *

"...What...?" Yao's eyes widened slightly when he began to put two and two together. "I thought he wasn't..." He muttered, scowling. "That...that idiot..."

The Chinese man righted himself, picking up the bundle of clothing. "...If he's running around naked, this is really going to be awkward..." He commented to himself, sighing before turning to leave. "In that case, I hope he is did, if only to avoid a really awkward moment..." He opened the door and saw that the others had left him there.

"...Son of a..."

* * *

Alfred scowled, as soon as he and Arthur exited the room they had been previously...er...using.

"Let's go back to the first floor." He suggested, the Englishman's growing smirk the only sign of his agreement.

* * *

"...Is it just me, or is this place eerily silent?"

"It's not just you, love~"

The two stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, isn't that Francis' sword?" The American frowned slightly, gesturing to the fallen blade lying on the floor, stained with a few drops of blood.

Arthur sneered. "Looks like Francey-pants got in some trouble, eh, love~?" He mused.

The duo looked up abruptly when they heard noises coming from somewhere down the hallway.

* * *

When they pushed open the door, the two found Ivan and Matt engaged in an intense battle with a huge, grey creature.

At the moment, the Canadian had it in a headlock, and the Russian was standing off to the side, looking annoyed and somewhat exhausted.

"...It's about time you two assholes got here..." Matt scowled slightly.

"Haha, I'm sorry, Mattie~" Arthur grinned. Alfred rolled his eyes.

"Do you want our help or not?"

"Oh, no, really, I've been doing just fine..."

"Are you sure? You don't have any weapons."

The Canadian gave him a withering look, gesturing madly to the monster as he tightened his grip around its neck.

"Does it LOOK like I need a freaking weapon?!"


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note: xD Mattie's such a badass~ I don't know why, but I love writing him like this, specifically because of this picture I saw once where he said he wrestles bull moose on a regular basis. You can imagine what the mental images of Canada wrestling a moose did to my image of him.

And-OHGODDAMNIT my spell check is acting up again. ಠ_ಠ Freaking technology...

Disclaimer: ...Okay, at this point, it really doesn't need to be said. Seriously.

* * *

The monster seemed to go through a burst of energy as it threw Matt off of it, causing the Canadian to hit the floor, wincing in pain, before literally rolling over along his spine in a very gymnast-like manner. He pulled himself up into a crouch, eyes narrowed in hatred.

"...Yeah, you definitely need our help." Alfred remarked, the only response being his brother making a rather rude gesture in his general direction.

Arthur grinned. "Alfie, I think you made him angry~! Oh well~" He mused, playing with a rather sinister-looking knife.

The creature swiped out at the Englishman, much to Alfred's rage,(which was expressed in rather loud shouts of profanity) although he dodged easily, spinning on the spot as his eyes glinted with malice. "This will be fun~"

Alfred ran at the monstrosity, letting out a cry of fury as he bashed the baseball bat into the back of its head, to no avail.

Ivan flicked out the sword part of his sword-cane, lashing at the beast. That, too, had no effect on it.

Arthur's smirk only grew, until it resembled that of the Cheshire Cat. As the monster turned to face him again, the British country began muttering under his breath rather rapidly, as the blade in his hand began to pulse an odd, blue fire.

"Expectro patronum~!" He purred, lashing out at the monster effectively. The blast had turned out great, but...it wasn't up to his usual standard...

The creature, somewhat dazed, lashed out blindly at Matt, whose polar bear leaped in front of him, teeth bared into a vicious snarl.

Protecting its master, Kumajirou lunged at the attacker, sinking its fangs inches into its arm. The monster let out a cry of pain and rage, attempting to shake off the bear.

Matt righted himself, eyes flashing with pride towards his animal companion as it released a fireball at the monster after leaping back a few feet.

The force of the explosion blew the Canadian and Kumajirou back a few feet.


	21. Chapter 21

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update, real life is getting pretty crazy. =_='' Probably doesn't help that I start school in less than a week...ugh. *sigh* Oh well, nothing to do about it, y'know?

Oh, yeah, and MEIN GOTT is a kickass-awesome song. That will be all. :/

Yeah, no more disclaimers. I think you guys get it, and I've run out of things to say at this point.

* * *

Matt coughed loudly, grimacing as he struggled to get to his feet. "Crap..."

He had been out for about a minute, and was not expecting what he saw when his eyes opened. Ivan and Kumajirou were unconscious, Alfred was fuming and covered in blood, and Arthur was snickering like the maniac he was, clutching his bleeding arm tightly with his free hand as he grinned at the monster that loomed over him.

_Shit..._

Despite the obvious struggle, Alfred flung himself at the monster, whacking it in the shoulder with all of his strength before being hit to the floor, coughing up a little bit of blood as his scowl deepened.

All of a sudden, a figure flew out of what seemed to be thin air, lashing out at the creature relentlessly with what appeared to be...a katana?

Kiku landed gracefully, glaring at it with the slightest hint of a smirk on his pale face.

"Figures you psychos would end up like this...what a disgrace."

He commented nonchalantly.

Arthur's unsettling grin grew, blue-pink eyes brightening with some kind of maliciously child-like delight.

"It's nice to see you without your guts everywhere~"

"My apologies, but I cannot really say the same about you, Arthur-san."

"Would you mind getting on with it?" Ivan propped himself up on his elbow, apparently having returned to consciousness.

"Hai."

The Japanese man dodged the claws of the creature, hissing in pain when he stepped on his right leg before slashing at it again, the aura around him getting more and more intense.

After a few more blows were exchanged, the impact of the sword hitting the monster seemed to draw in the heavy atmosphere, causing a minor explosion. When the smoke cleared, the monster was beyond recognition, slowly beginning to fade until it was completely invisible.

Matt sneezed violently. "_Achoo!_ Gah...what the hell...?"

Kiku pulled the Russian to his feet as Alfred and Arthur began a discussion that seemed to have sinister subtext on the part of both parties, one more subtle than the other.

"Have you met that thing before, comrade?" Ivan asked as he got to his feet, righting himself.

Kiku nodded grimly. "I have...wait, what?"

"Huh?"

"...Didn't you assholes get here first?" The Japanese man asked.

"No...we haven't even been here for an hour. Didn't Yao send you a message earlier? You replied from the summit, ne?"

"I suppose...anyways, Feliciano, Ludwig, and Gilbert-san came here with me." Kiku frowned.

"Sucks to be you, then." Matt commented dryly.


	22. Chapter 22

Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. Real life is a bitch, yada yada. =_=

Oh, also, the next few chapters will not have been looked over by Kate, who is even more busy in real life than I am, so please forgive any errors I may make.

* * *

"Let's just go to the second floor. The others are waiting." Kiku suggested. The others muttered agreement and they set out. There wasn't much conversation as the group made their way to a room on the second floor, but the moment Kiku walked in, they started talking amongst themselves.

Arthur nudged Alfred in the arm.

"Hm?"

"He definitely isn't alright, love~ He was limping with every step~" The Englishman mused, seeming positively delighted by the thought of it.

The American raised an eyebrow, although he agreed. Kiku was obviously hiding pain. Of course, he wasn't very concerned, since this wasn't exactly uncommon for him.

Kiku pushed the door open, and all attention was focused on him and the two familiar people behind him. Feliciano smirked in a way that Matt noted to be rather...triumphant. Like he had just won something. He frowned.

Ludwig said nothing, he and Alfred glancing at each other for a moment, sympathetic that they were both in the company of the insane.

Kiku led them all into the room they had used before to rest. They all took their seats, some more quietly than others.

"What the hell was that thing?" Matt demanded, scowling at the others.

"Vehe, it was nothing really. Just the monster that supposedly lives in this place~" Feliciano replied.

"Can we get on with this?" Alfred suggested, annoyed.

Kiku nodded. "Right. When we got here, I went off to investigate a strange noise, and while I was gone the monster attacked."

"It seemed to be mostly targeting me...heh, what an idiot~" Feliciano mused, smirk growing slightly.

"We all stayed in this room for the night once everyone met up, but at some point Gilbert, who was keeping watch, disappeared." Kiku continued, shooting the Italian a glare. "We were able to find a trail of blood, but we couldn't find him."

"Well, I doubt there's anything to worry about." Said Matt nonchalantly, waving off the Prussian's absence rather calmly. "He probably just killed himself again. He'll be back soon."

"Where's Francis?" Feliciano interjected.

"We got separated." Replied the Canadian bluntly. "If Gilbert killed himself, he's probably the one with the body, and he's probably attempting to dissect him or some shit like that."


	23. Chapter 23

Author's note: ;A; Oh god, I'm sorry for the absence...in other news...ASDFGHJKL; I typed this ENTIRE FREAKING CHAPTER and then I was logged out. WHAT IS THIS?! Oh well, I'll try to rewrite it as accurately as I can. =_=;

* * *

"Veh?"

Feliciano's amber eyes widened ever so slightly, the reflection of the dying embers flickering dangerously as he eyed the fireplace with an oddly malicious glee.

The Italian stood silently from his chair, letting it scrape against the floor before he walked to the flame, crouching down before it. His movement caught the attention of a small handful of his companions, whilst the others did not stray from their incessant bickering.

He sifted through the slowly cooling ashes, pulling back with a soft hiss of pain when the fire retaliated, leaving a tiny burn on his hand.

Nonetheless, he persevered, reaching one again into the fireplace as he recovered the wooden box. Its previously firm lid was ajar, and he pulled it up, seeing a metallic glint from the inside. A key...

His lips curled back into a triumphant grin as he lifted his prize from its dwelling, thoughts far from the heat radiating off of it.

He shook with a quiet laugh, one that grew and grew until his terrifyingly joyful laughter filled the room, tearing the others from their arguments.

"It's...a key...! Haha, I can't believe it was this easy to find it! What a joke...!"

Ludwig frowned. What was with him? This certainly was unusual, even for him.

Kiku breathed out a snort of irritation, twitching for a moment in annoyance. Arthur watched the scene unfold in amusement, Alfred's scowl deepening. Ivan glanced in the Italian Empire's direction, waiting for his insanity to have a point.

Matt's eye twitched and he stood up, hands slamming against the hard table.

"Hey, psycho, get the hell on with it!"

* * *

"...I think we need to adjust our priorities." Spoke Kiku.

The situation seemed to have died down, and he had managed to recapture the attention of his listeners even after Feliciano's outburst.

"We originally intended to escape, but it seems that we may need to locate the others first."

He continued, paying little mind to the groans of protest coming from the other nations.

"Hai, I know, but we don't know what would happen to the outside world if one of us died. Besides, there would be too much paperwork."

Murmurs of assent followed this statement.

* * *

"We should separate into three groups."

Feliciano shot Kiku a look, and the other amended his decision with an annoyed sigh.

"No one can go alone. Each group must have at least two people. There. Are you happy now?"

"Si, very~"

* * *

"Now about our-"

The Japanese man was interrupted by the door suddenly shaking violently. He closed his mouth, gripping the hilt of his katana.

Those present rose to their feet, each drawing their respective weaponry. The door bowed in slightly, causing a small flicker of anxiety to flutter in the pit of Ludwig's stomach.

This couldn't be good...

"It seems that this room is no longer safe. Damn it..." Kiku muttered. "Let's split up. Ivan, Matt, you stay here with me. Ludwig and Feliciano, find the room that goes with the key. Alfred, Arthur-"

"Actually, love, there's a room I'd like to investigate with Alfie~" Chirped the Englishman.

"Fine."

Feliciano grinned. "Try not to die~!"

Kiku rolled his eyes.

The door gave in and the monster loomed over the nations, its presence seemingly to fill the room.

"Good luck, assholes..."

Kiku muttered under his breath.


	24. Chapter 24

Author's Note: I have got to stop getting sick all of the time x'DD But anyways, welcome back to another installment of this insanity. I am attempting to make the chapters longer, since we haven't made much progress besides being on the 24th chapter~

But for now, enjoy some Alfred and Arthur shenanigans~!

* * *

Alfred raised an eyebrow at the Briton. "I thought we already looked in here?" He frowned. The pair had fled the earlier room (well, he had, Arthur had opted to skip) and now stood in the piano room.

"Oh, we did, love~"

"Then why...?"

Arthur interrupted him, inhaling deeply as a look of pure, disturbing nirvana passed over his features.

"Ah, I love that smell~" He mused, turning on heel as he stalked around the room, humming under his breath.

"What? Am I missing something here?"

"Haha, of _course_ you are, Alfie~" He giggled, taking a seat at the piano. "Ah, so much blood~ Music to my nose..."

"That doesn't make any sense."

Ignoring this statement, the Briton ran his hands across the piano keys. "Hm...it's faded...I wonder how they died~?" He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly as if in thought. Suddenly, he leaned down, staring intently at the keys that were now only inches from his nose.

_It seems...familiar..._

"What the flying fuck are you doing?" Alfred scowled, unamused by his antics.

Arthur ignored him, looking uncharacteristically serious. "Oh...so it was..." He murmured under his breath.

"Hey. Hey, asshole. What are you doing?"

He looked up, expression falling back into the customary smirk. "Oh, nothing, Alfie~!" He chimed gleefully.

Alfred raised an eyebrow, but did not question him further. After all, he had learned long ago that with Arthur, it was better not to ask.

The latter stood muttering to himself with that mad grin never faltering. "Hmm~ Numbers...puzzle...maybe a code? No, no...a key? That might be it. But for what..."

"A safe."

"Hm~?"

"If it's a key, it's probably for a safe."

Arthur gasped dramatically. "Brilliant, Alfie~! Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

Alfred was not amused. Not in the slightest.

"Whatever you say..."

An idea dawned on the Brit, who began to prance out of the room.

"Huh?"

"Just a minute, love, I need to take a look at something~~" He left without another word, only pausing to mouth...something and make a tiny hand gesture. The American rolled his eyes, leaning against the piano. Regardless of whether or not Arthur had cracked and was imagining the blood, this room gave him the creeps...

The door opened behind him and he righted himself, turning to face his companion.  
"Well, that was fa-" His sentence died in his throat as he saw that it was in fact the monster and not the Brit who stood before him. "...Fuck."

What...? Why on earth was this thing here? Had he gotten...oh god, if that thing had gone _anywhere near_ Arthur, he would bash its face in...

Wait, it was leaving. How did it not see him at all? Not that he was complaining, of course, but...

"What's wrong, love~?"

He hadn't noticed Arthur entering the room.

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

Arthur silently cheered. His incantation had worked, after all...judging by the unsettled expression on the American's face, the monster had passed through, as he had thought it would. And, seeing as all appeared to be fine, the protective charm he had cast before leaving had done its job. In that case, all the monster saw when it entered the room was the piano. Doubled in size, of course, but that was beside the point.

At that moment, Feliciano and Ludwig entered the room. The Italian and the Brit shot each other a knowing look, although the others did not notice.

"Did you find anything?" Feliciano asked.

"Nada~"

* * *

"They've escaped." Matt cracked his knuckles, scowling. "Except us, of course."

"It isn't very often that I get forced to cooperate with you two assholes. It's usually Feliciano-san and Ludwig-san." Kiku remarked.

"Yeah, glad you could help, too." Matt rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"I would appreciate it if we could pay more attention to the problem at hand..." Ivan interrupted.

Matt shot him a look. "But really, show some appreciation. I could've just gone with my brother and his psychotic boy toy, but _no_!"

Kiku scoffed. "Like you'd have the patience to put up with them for two minutes..."

"Uh...comrade?"

The arguing pair ignored the Russian, continuing to bicker.

"Kiku, I've dealt with their shit for hundreds of years. Hell, I've _walked in on them_ multiple times. Do you _know_ what that kind of thing does to a guy?"

"Comrade?"

"I live next to Yao, for god's sake!"

"Pfft. So?"

"He blasts soap operas at all hours of the night! I haven't slept in _eighteen years_!"

Ivan sighed, exasperated. "Comrade!"

"WHAT?" Both nations turned, and he nonchalantly gestured to the creature, which was giving them an odd look.

"Oh, right."

"Arigato."


	25. Chapter 25

Author's Note: LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS. *ahem*

(...I don't know why I just said that, either. It felt like a good idea at the time.)

Also, I AM SO SORRY for rarely replying to reviews. Believe me, I read each and every single one like a hundred times, I just never seem to get around to it. (What I mean by that is that I have the attention span of a goldfish, not that I'm all that busy most of the time)

Oh, yeah, and I plan on differing from the original plotline more now. (FINALLY)

* * *

Matt scowled, ducking under the monster's claws to deliver a harsh kick to its abdomen. At the same time, Kiku launched himself at it, slashing at it before jumping swiftly back out of its range. Ivan attacked it with the pipe, repeating Kiku's method of escape as Matt rolled across the floor, out of the way of the creature's next blow.

"Shit...!"

Amidst the fighting, Kiku clutched his head in pain, swearing under his breath. All of a sudden, he had felt his surroundings fading, along with Ivan's attempt at pulling him out of the way of another would-be fatal hit.

* * *

_A single spot of crimson on a canvas of white._

_More than ever, the lack of color in the room seemed blinding to the Japanese man.  
_

_Kiku limped to the grand instrument in the center of the room, still clutching his stomach as blood welled up and spilled around his fingers.  
_

* * *

"Hey! What the hell is he doing?!" Matt shouted to his only conscious companion as he continued to hold off the monster.

"I don't know, comrade! He just fainted or something!"

Ivan replied, having managed to pull the Japanese nation out of the fray for the moment.  
"He should know by now that if he dies, the paperwork would be torturous...idiot..." The Russian muttered before straightening up to join the Canadian in battle.

* * *

_He collapsed onto the bench before the piano, coughing up the precious liquid onto its keys and staining them with red flowers._

_"Damn...it..."  
_

_He managed to choke out, before a silky, sickeningly sweet broke the silence.  
_

_"Vehe, never thought I'd live to see the day you went down so easily..."  
_

_Sure enough, the Italian Empire stood in the doorway.  
_

_"...Oh...it's you...what the...hell do you want...?" The Japanese man spat, although the usual spite was absent from his tone. He just sounded tired. So very tired...  
_

_Feliciano scoffed. "You really think I want something from you? Really, Kiku?"  
_

_"What...?"  
_

_"You don't want to die alone, do you?" Without waiting for his response, the Italian sat down next to him at the piano.  
_

_"Why...are you...?"  
_

_"You've been a good ally, ve." He stated bluntly, expressionless for once.  
_

_Kiku raised an eyebrow before a shudder went through him and he coughed up more blood.  
_

* * *

Ivan sighed. "How inconsiderate of him to just pass out like this..."

Matt rolled his eyes. "He's buying our drinks when we get out of here, no question."

* * *

_"Ssh." Feliciano shushed him, staring straight ahead. "It's a shame, really. I always thought you were stronger than this."_

_"I...am..."  
_

* * *

_"_Unngh..." Kiku groaned under his breath, face contorted in pain.

What...what was he seeing...? He certainly remembered none of it...

* * *

_He could barely see anything. The white color scheme of the piano room was overwhelming, and his breath hitched in his throat._

_"Arigato...Feliciano-san..."  
_

_And with that, he breathed his last.  
_

_Feliciano stood up and turned to leave without a word, only speaking when he had reached the doorway.  
_

_"Somehow I think...we'll be seeing each other again. I don't know why, but...until then, I suppose?"  
_

* * *

His eyes fluttered open at last .

"What on earth...?"

"It's about time!" Matt shouted angrily, glowering at him from across the room.

The monster was gone.


	26. Chapter 26

Author's Note:Well, looks like I'm back..again. Hmm. Let me offer you all a bit of advice, if you care to hear.

Never write a story as you go. It never ends well, believe me. =_=''

* * *

Shadows stretched across the all-too-white walls. The two lone figures walked forward in silence, the only sound resonating throughout the empty hall the quiet sound of feet against floor. Feliciano frowned, crinkling his eyebrows as a dull throbbing began to form in his head. He slowed slightly from his earlier brisk pace, vision going fuzzy.

* * *

_Another time, another place. He saw himself running through the hall with an old, withered book clutched in his hand-but no, it wasn't him. Not quite; he saw himself, his uniform sporting blue with crimson splatters, his hair a lighter shade, and his eyes a light brown.-No, no, it was him again. The expression of fear and grief that had haunted the apparition's face had been gone, replaced with one of unsuppressed blood lust, hatred, even. A desire for vengeance._

_He had reached the front hall, the place where it all began, and launched himself at the door, quickly reuniting the long sought key into the lock and turning, pulling the door out and stumbling into the rain.  
_

_Was he crying? The droplets of water on his cheeks could not be his own. No, they were not. They were shed by the other him.  
_

_He continued forward weakly, stopping at the edge of the accursed estate before turning to see the grey monster standing at the doorway; watching, waiting.  
_

_He turned fully, mind still vague.  
_

_"You..."  
_

_He felt word spilling from his tongue-questioning, asking why. Why had the creature let him of all people live, why didn't it take him instead...  
_

_No, the words felt wrong, as if they were not his own.  
_

_He heard his own voice, so much more clearly, as the terrified voice of the other faded.  
_

_At last, Feliciano spoke, eerily calm.  
_

_"Impressive. I've never been beaten before, but you..." Faltering as the mask slipped, he went on after taking a ragged breath.  
_

_"...You have some nerve, you know that? Vehe, how stupid." He laughed, lips curled back into a smirk that hid pure rage as he shook, clenching his fists.  
_

_"What makes you think that you can steal from me? That you can steal my enemies...my allies...my favorite..." His voice shook with an insane fury as he laughed a cruel, humorless bark that rang out far too loudly.  
_

_"You're such a fool...nobody defies the Italian Empire and gets away with it...nobody..." His eyes hardened when he heard no response, no snort of defiance, whimper of fear, or nod of obedience that he was so used to.  
_

_"I...I won't allow this..." His eyes blazed as his gaze traveled to the book. He gestured to it, practically waving it in the beast's face frantically.  
_

_"Take them back."  
_

_...  
_

_"NOW! I lost, so it's my turn to choose now, isn't it?" He shouted. The monster eyed him with what may have been...amusement?  
_

_That was all he knew.  
_

* * *

"...ciano!"

"Hm?"

He stirred, surprised to find himself on the ground, Ludwig staring at him with what was either concern or annoyance. Maybe both.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You just fell over.."

Feliciano raised an eyebrow with a weak sneer.

"Oh, don't mind me. I was just overwhelmed by the decor."


	27. Chapter 27

Author's Note: ...Oh my god, it's been a while since my last update...*hugs*

I'm afraid that my erratic schedule may continue to stay that way for the rest of the month, due to NaNoWriMo...

But in other news, I made a tumblr! =D You can find me under the name 'tasteslikesandwich'.

* * *

At last, within a few minutes, all were gathered in the piano room. Kiku glanced at Feliciano rather warily out of the corner of his eye, frowning. The other was unusually quiet, merely staring blankly around the room. The silence was rather unnerving, but no one seemed willing to speak.

Arthur and Feliciano, much to Alfred's contempt, were having a hushed conversation that none of the others could seem to hear. The others seemed fearful to bring up their missing comrades.

"Something isn't right here."

Matt cut through the silence, frowning. The others seemed to snap out of their daze, turning to face him.

"Kiku, you passed out earlier, didn't you? Just what the hell was that about?"

He frowned, glowering at the Japanese man in an inquiring manner.

Kiku glared back.

"I wasn't aware that you cared, Matthew-san." He replied smoothly.

The Canadian twitched, scowl deepening.

"You know what I mean! That little stunt back there nearly got me killed, so spill it!" He shouted, fists clenched with his knuckles turning white.

He opened his mouth to protest, but resigned himself to answering after a hard stare from a certain Italian.

Sigh.

"Fine...it was nothing, really, but I had this...how do I put it...vision?" He continued, "I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I saw my own...death."

Silence filled the room once again. Feliciano looked oddly unsurprised, though...  
Finally, Matt answered.

"Kiku."

"...?"

"...That is by far the lamest excuse I have ever heard."

Meanwhile, his brother, who had stayed surprisingly quiet up until this point, collapsed.

* * *

_Alfred coughed into his hand, scowling when he saw red. His crimson eyes darted to the Briton, whose strawberry-blond hair was plastered to his face with his own blood. The other was panting, blue eyes narrowed with an unfaltering smirk on his face. _

_"Heh...Alfie, I think that we may actually lose..."  
_

_"What? You can't be serious..."  
_

_He replied, although he knew what the other said to be true. The two of them were worn down, and both were likely to have internal injuries. The monster loomed over them. Arthur struggled to his feet and slashed futilely at its midsection. It was unfazed, swiping him out of its way effortlessly and into the wall, where, after a sickening crack, he crumbled as limply as a ragdoll.  
_

_Alfred's eyes widened in horror (Arthur's neck was not supposed to look like that, his bones shouldn't bend that way) and rage (how dare he take Artie away...) as he let out a cry of fury and ran at the beast, swinging the baseball bat at its head. It yanked his arm, crushing down on it and-oh god, he could see the bone. Unable to hold out his cry of pain, the American clutched at his wound and fell to the ground, face contorted in agony.  
_

_"Ar...thur...?"  
_

_He struggled weakly, turning his head to see the Brit, whose head lolled lifelessly to the side, eyes open and unseeing with that godforsaken grin still on his face. He was dead, but no, he couldn't be-it was unthinkable. But even still, the creature stood over him, as he breathed his last, still standing in a show of grim triumph.  
_

_"I'm...sorry..."  
_

_Crunch.  
_


	28. Chapter 28

Author's Note: Yes, it's true, I am in fact still alive. *Insert GLaDOS song here* Heh, sorry about my long absence, but I'm back for the time being. Real life sucks, ya know? Anyways, I'm going to put out an honest attempt to make this chapter long, because I really don't wanna scrap this story, but I'm just slowing down a bit too much for my liking.

Anyways, I was thinking about starting anew after I finish this. Write another multi-chapter; maybe co-write with someone? I dunno.

Regardless, I think this may be one of the last chapters. Holy crap, I know, but I'm going to try to pack the length of several chapters into these.

We're nearing the end, guys! You've been great, and I'm really excited!

You know what that means: shit is about to hit the fan, big time. Enjoy yourselves; this should be interesting. That is, if I'm doing my job right.

As you know, I own nothing here. :)

* * *

When the shadows faded out from the sides of his eyes, when he could see again, Alfred found his own crimson orbs faced with an all-too-familiar pair of pink-tinted blue (or were they green?) staring down at him, inches from his face. He breathed in, a sharp intake, when the other blinked at him.

He sat up quickly, pulling the Briton into a tight embrace, and burying his face into the crook of his neck. Arthur raised an impressive eyebrow and turned his head to glance in confusion at those behind him. Alfred raised his head, eyes widening when he saw the one standing behind him-nearly identical to himself, but with lighter hair, softer lines, and a matching expression of shock.

He glanced to 'Arthur' and found that he was not right, either. His eyes were not the familiar shade of blue-pink, rather a startling emerald green; his hair missing its strawberry-blonde color, instead a dusty, unkempt yellow. Not an unpleasant yellow by any means, but so disturbingly different that he couldn't understand it.

"...What the bloody hell..."

Not-Arthur spoke, glancing between the two Americans (or were there three; Alfred could have sworn he saw another standing in the back, although it very well may have been his imagination. A trick of the light, if you will).

Alfred scrambled backward, feeling around for his weapon, only to find it gone.

"Who the ever-loving _fuck_ are you people?!"

He demanded, trying to regain his composure first, and thus, the upper hand.

"I could say the same about you, ya know, dude!" America retorted, seemingly going for the same tactic.

Alfred steadied himself against the wall, standing up.  
He took in his surroundings; the hallway, with the stench of dried blood still clinging to the air. A dead body had recently been here.

Ah, yes, it was evident in the hopeless sag of the others' shoulders, the faint red he could see in their eyes.

Someone had died here. But...who?

Not-Arthur kneaded the bridge of his nose with his fingers, face scrunched up in concentration as he muttered under his breath, Alfred only able to pick out bits and pieces of what he was saying.

"...Doesn't make any sense...after everything that's happened with Italy...how..."

* * *

Matthew swiveled on the spot to openly stare at the area where his brother had collapsed moments before, to find him vanished. Completely. It made literally no sense, and when things didn't make sense, he got worried. Of course, that in itself made little sense seeing as how he was currently trapped in a mansion with a grey monster and a large group of psychopaths. Lovely.

"Al..?" He trailed off, eyes wide. The others turned to look as well, muttering amongst themselves in hushed tones as quiet arguments over bullshit theories to his disappearance began to spring up.

Feliciano in particular slipped to the back of the group, mentally having his own debate. This felt odd, like it had happened before. The entire situation did, as a matter of fact. Only, the roles felt warped. Too far warped to make any tangible sense to him, so that, when he thought about it, he felt that he should have been the one to disappear.

* * *

Gilbert curled up against the bars of the cell, groaning. Damn, this was a stupid idea. Francis was pacing back and forth behind him, and Yao was asleep. Maybe. You could never know with that guy...

Francis threw his hands up in the air in a show of exasperation. "Well, it looks like we're stuck here because of you, now, doesn't it?" He snapped. The Prussian let his head fall to rest against the bars, eyelids drooping in exhaustion.

"Shut up..."

He whimpered, drawing his knees in closer to himself.

In the shadow, Yao stirred weakly, pulling himself up into a sitting position as he observed in silence, lips pulled back into a grim frown.

* * *

Antonio grimaced. He had no idea why he had followed Lovino to this hell hole, but he was regretting it more and more with every passing second. This little escapade of his was stupid, in every meaning of the word. There was no point in coming here, yet for whatever reason the Italian persisted. Typical.

They reached the dark abyss of what appeared to be a basement. Lovino perched on the very edge, a mischievous grin on his face as he spread his arms out slightly, as if waiting to take flight into the pit. Antonio crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall of the mansion with an irritated sigh.

"This is pointless; you know that, right?"

A tittering laugh was the only indication that the other had even listened.

"What do you say we go take a look, hmm?"

The Spaniard raised a questioning eyebrow just as the blonde stuck his tongue out at him in an expression of childish spite and hopped in.

"Hey!" Anotonio's eyes widened and he hurried over. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

He could not see, but Lovino had managed to grab the last rung of the ladder on his way down.

"Oh, don't be such a downer, Toni~! It's fun!" He chirped, to which the other's eye twitched.

"Fine, fine, I'm coming down there..." He grumbled, climbing down the ladder to join the other, whom then jumped down to the ground. He followed after, scowling in annoyance at his antics.

Lovino smirked, cackling ever so slightly before heading forward, as his companion trailed behind, eying the walls with little to no interest. He sighed. "What exactly are we doing here again?"

"Isn't it obvious, Toni? We're going to find my bastard brother and beat the shit out of him before anyone else does~" He giggled, amber eyes flashing with something that sent a shiver up the Spaniard's spine.

"Right..." He rolled his eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets.

They walked in silence for minutes before hearing the sounds of a distant argument and, relieved to find others, hurrying forward. They found themselves staring into the cage that contained Gilbert, Francis, and Yao.

"It's about time!" Francis exclaimed. "Get us out of here!"

"It's like a zoo...'' Antonio snorted, taunting him without lifting the scowl from his face.

Lovino grinned. "Ooh, I didn't know you like the zoo, Toni~ How fun!"

Four palms automatically hit their respective faces at that statement.

Antonio rolled his eyes, unlocking the cell door and freeing the others. Gilbert shook Yao awake and they all gathered, setting out to find the other nations they had come with.

* * *

Amidst the commotion, Feliciano grabbed the arms of Kiku and Ludwig, dragging them out of the room with him.

"The hell-"

"Shut up, both of you!" He hissed, closing the door behind the three of them.

"Don't you both think we've wasted enough time? We need to go find the others!"

"I suppose you're right.." Kiku mused. "If they die, the paper work would be brutal.."

"Then its decided. Ludwig?" Feliciano glanced to the German.

"Ja, I suppose we should..." The Italian smirked at that.

"The other morons will be so pissed if we bring them that monster's head without them, too! Vehe, this'll be fun!"

The others rolled their eyes nearly in unison, heading before him. The smirk melted off of the Italian's face as he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration.

_This isn't right...something's wrong; maybe I missed something? Ugh, I hate losing control like this. I can't afford to lose this battle again. Who knows how many chances I have left, if any at all. Oh God, I don't wanna d-_

"Feliciano-san?"

The Italian was jerked from his thoughts as Kiku raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you alright?"

"Oh...si."

"We should catch up with Ludwig-kun, you know."

"Right...I'll catch up in a second..."

_I can't think like this. Dying is for the weak; There's no way I'll go here. None of us will...right? Haha, of course not! That's so...ridiculous...heh...but...why do I feel like I've already lost?  
_

The Italian clenched his fists until the knuckles turned white, forcing his lips to pull back into his usual teasing smirk.

"Coming!"


	29. Chapter 29

Author's Note: Oh wow, it's been a little while, huh? A happy late Christmas and New Years to you all, even if my own was embarrassing as hell. I don't wanna talk about it here, I dunno, if you wanna know you can message me I guess.

Oh, and in other news, I've changed my Tumblr URL from 'tasteslikesandwich' to 'the-panda-leek'.

Anyways, let's get on with it, shall we?

* * *

Feliciano gulped, salmon eyes narrowed in a look of paranoia as he surveyed the hallway, walking to the very back of the group.

Kiku and Ludwig appeared to be having a conversation up ahead, one that he didn't feel the need to pay attention to as he wracked his brain for answers.

He had to have missed something, he just knew it! Although he didn't show it, the Italian was panicking inside.

He didn't want to do this all over again and watch them all die, he needed to fix this as soon as possible.

That...that _thing _could be anywhere right now...what if someone was already dead? What if he had already lost and he didn't even know it yet?

What if-no, he had to get it together. There was no way he'd missed anything, he'd been so careful, after all.

No, no, everything was fine, they were going to get out; all of them. That monster wouldn't steal any of his play-things, they were his to kill, after all.

A flicker of fear registered in his jaded gaze as the thought occurred to him-what if this really was their last chance?

He'd already come back once and failed; twice would be a miracle, after all.

* * *

Even after their attempted explanations, Alfred still had no idea what the hell had happened to him or where he was.

From what his 'twin' had said, minus his random childish mentions of supposed 'heroics', he could gather that these people were countries, like them, and one of them was dead-he guessed that one to be their Feliciano, but the descriptions didn't quite match up.

All of this was too confusing for his tastes, really, and he was still convinced that they were even more insane than the ones he had left behind.

Which was apparently possible.

The Arthur look-a-like was explaining something to him about magic-according to the Briton, that was what brought him here. Honestly, he didn't really know what to think.

Was magic real? He supposed it was, he had seen Arthur do it enough times, but it still didn't add up.

Just who the hell were these people? Was this some alternate dimension, and if so, how the fuck had he even ended up here, save for that 'magic' shit?!

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, scowling in annoyance.

"Hey, Iggy, maybe we should take this guy to the others?" America suggested, to which 'Iggy' (Alfred snickered at the nickname) nodded after an irritated protest.

He got up, following them out of the room and downstairs, to a grouping of the others, all of whom strongly resembled the countries back home.

Oddly enough, though, both Ludwig and Feliciano appeared to be missing.

All hell broke loose, questions and arguments flying around constantly.

Apparently, they weren't so different after all.

England faced each of the questions a lot faster than he would have expected, as if he actually had any idea of what was at work here.

From what he could gather, those who weren't talking about his unexpected arrival were referring to some sort of journal...?

All conversations fell completely silent into an awkward and tense discomfort when the door wooden opened slowly and Germany, eyes red with previously shed tears, walked out.

* * *

"Can we all just shut the fuck up and deal with this already?!" Matthew demanded, raising his voice to an angered shout. "My brother's gone, and I don't know about you dipshits but I wanna find him sometime soon!"

Arthur stared blankly ahead, frozen, as he watched in vain for Alfred to come back, mouth slightly agape in a rare instance of seriousness.

"Arthur-"

He waved a hand for silence, blue eyes darting around as if searching for something.

"Oi, Feli, I found it-" He cut himself off when he turned to find the Italian, German, and Japanese countries gone as well.

This couldn't be good.

The Canadian was practically foaming at the mouth, ranting about wring their necks when he found them, whereas the Briton continued to look around with an expression of childish determination.

The fae were at work here, he just knew it, and maybe finding Alfie was his key to getting out of this godforsaken haunt.

* * *

Antonio's eye twitched-it was only a matter of time before he went insane from traveling with these idiots.

Lovino seemed to be talking to Yao animatedly, with an unnecessary amount of hand gestures. Francis, bless him, was the only one being quiet, seeing as how Gilbert was whining almost _endlessly_.

As much as he hated them, the sooner they found the others, the better.

The winding halls continued onward, and the group soon reached another area of cells. It smelled off, even more so than before, the fact of which seemed to put all those present on edge.

"I think we're lost, aru." The Chinese nation complained, frowning. He stood at the head of the group, turning towards them with his arms crossed over his chest in annoyance.

Antonio opened his mouth to reply, but abruptly stopped, dark eyes widening as a shadow began to loom over the other.

One by one, each of the others seemed to notice as well, expressions contorting into those of shock and horror.

Yao still didn't seem to get it, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why are you all looking at me like th-"

_Crunch._


	30. Chapter 30 Part 1 of 2

Author's Note:

Okay, since chapter 30 is the longest one so far, I'm splitting it up into two parts. Just to let you know, after this, there is one more to get through, then we're all done! I _would've _posted this all at once, but a CERTAIN MORAIL OF MINE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED told me to update ASAP. xD

(Dammit, Mee-chan...you'd better review, baka!)

Okay, so in all seriousness, the next chapter really is the next one. I hope you guys enjoy it and please don't forget to review!

* * *

The dark, moldy walls of the basement were dyed a crimson red in a sudden splash of color that coated the remaining small group of nations.

A silence hung over the air as Gilbert crumbled from where he stood, blocking Yao from harm after jumping in the way at the last second.

His eyes were stretched wide and he landed in a puddle of his own blood.

The Chinese nation quickly tried to pull his limp form back from further harm as the others fled for their lives, terrified.

"Shit…! What the hell were you thinking, aru?!"

He demanded after pulling him around a corner, where the Prussian collapsed on him again and they could walk no further.

* * *

_A single spot of crimson on a canvas of white._

_More than ever, the lack of color in the room seemed blinding to the Japanese man.  
_

_Kiku limped to the grand instrument in the center of the room, still clutching his stomach as blood welled up and spilled around his fingers._

_He collapsed onto the bench before the piano, coughing up the precious liquid onto its keys and staining them with red flowers._

_"Damn...it..."  
_

_He managed to choke out, before a silky, sickeningly sweet broke the silence.  
_

_"Vehe, never thought I'd live to see the day you went down so easily..."  
_

_Sure enough, the Italian Empire stood in the doorway.  
_

_"...Oh...it's you...what the...hell do you want...?" The Japanese man spat, although the usual spite was absent from his tone. He just sounded tired. So very tired...  
_

_Feliciano scoffed. "You really think I want something from you? Really, Kiku?"  
_

_"What...?"  
_

_"You don't want to die alone, do you?" Without waiting for his response, the Italian sat down next to him at the piano.  
_

_"Why...are you...?"  
_

_"You've been a good ally, ve." He stated bluntly, expressionless for once.  
_

___Kiku raised an eyebrow before a shudder went through him and he coughed up more blood._

_"Ssh." Feliciano shushed him, staring straight ahead. "It's a shame, really. I always thought you were stronger than this."_

_____"I...am..."_

_He could barely see anything. The white color scheme of the piano room was overwhelming, and his breath hitched in his throat._

_"Arigato...Feliciano-san..."  
_

_And with that, he breathed his last.  
_

_Feliciano stood up and turned to leave without a word, only speaking when he had reached the doorway.  
_

_"Somehow I think...we'll be seeing each other again. I don't know why, but...until then, I suppose?"_

* * *

"Heh...I guess...I'm sick of being afraid all the time..."

Yao blinked in confusion at the Prussian's words, before the realization dawned on him.

"Oh, aru..."

He furrowed his eyebrows as Gilbert coughed up blood, hearing the dull footsteps of the monster coming closer and closer.

He swallowed, instincts telling him to leave-he wasn't going to make it, surely he could get out-but, his words struck home in a way, without necessarily meaning to.

"...Aren't we all?"

He trailed off, eyes slightly clouded as his thoughts were with Kiku, a pang of regret settling in his stomach. Even if he didn't make it out of here, surely _he _of all people would?

Yes, he realized, he wanted that.

Yao's eyes welled up with tears as he let out a shuddering sigh, fear slowly fading into a grim acceptance

He propped Gilbert up against the wall, already gone cold, and waited for his end to come as well. A minute passed when he turned to see the shadow of the monster looming over him, as if it knew as well that it was time; he was not going to run.

He closed his eyes, letting an end come to four thousand years.

* * *

_Alfred coughed into his hand, scowling when he saw red. _

_His crimson eyes darted to the Briton, whose strawberry-blond hair was plastered to his face with his own blood. _

_The other was panting, blue eyes narrowed with an unfaltering smirk on his face. _

_"Heh...Alfie, I think that we may actually lose..."  
_

_"What? You can't be serious..."  
_

_He replied, although he knew what the other said to be true. T_

_he two of them were worn down, and both were likely to have internal injuries. The monster loomed over them. Arthur struggled to his feet and slashed futilely at its midsection. _

_It was unfazed, swiping him out of its way effortlessly and into the wall, where, after a sickening crack, he crumbled as limply as a ragdoll.  
_

_Alfred's eyes widened in horror (Arthur's neck was not supposed to look like that, his bones shouldn't bend that way) and rage (how dare he take Artie away...) as he let out a cry of fury and ran at the beast, swinging the baseball bat at its head. _

_It yanked his arm, crushing down on it and-oh god, he could see the bone. Unable to hold out his cry of pain, the American clutched at his wound and fell to the ground, face contorted in agony.  
_

_"Ar...thur...?"  
_

_He struggled weakly, turning his head to see the Brit, whose head lolled lifelessly to the side, eyes open and unseeing with that godforsaken grin still on his face._

_ He was dead, but no, he couldn't be-it was unthinkable. But even still, the creature stood over him, as he breathed his last, still standing in a show of grim triumph.  
_

_"I'm...sorry..."  
_

_Crunch._

* * *

Francis's running slowed to a stop when he reached the dead end, panting with his eyes squeezed shut and his hands on his knees in a struggle to catch his breath.

"Damn him...Gil, you bastard..."

He swore, frustrated. His friend...what the hell did he do that for in the first place? Idiot! He could have gotten out of there, it was easy enough!

But...maybe...

The Frenchman straightened up, wiping from his eyes tears he didn't know had been there in the first place.

...Maybe...he wanted to.

Steadying his hand against the wall, the blonde let out a tired sigh. So, this was it, huh...? After all he'd seen, all he'd been through, he was going to die here in this hellhole.

He heard a lone cry of pain that was quickly cut off coming from the short distance behind him.

Yao, no doubt.

He stood up, staring at a spot on the wall in silence for a moment before closing his eyes. He wanted to go out with dignity, listening with a frightened acceptance as the thudding sound came closer and closer to where he was.

He wanted nothing more than to take flight, to escape, but he felt rooted to the spot, knowing that this was where he was meant to let himself die.

Finally, he felt heavy breathing on his neck and gulped, eyes squeezing more tightly shut in the moment before the monster's claws burst from his chest and his eyes snapped open involuntarily in that moment before they slid out again and he crumpled.

* * *

Feliciano blinked, hearing the high pitched ringing of his cellphone. Kiku and Ludwig turned to face him.

"I thought those didn't work here..." The German frowned, to which the Italian shrugged.

"So did I."

He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open, pressing a button to answer.

"...Ciao?"

He frowned slightly, not getting a response for a long minute before the person on the other end seemed to gasp before speaking.

"Fratello, are you there?"

His eyes widened in horror and his mouth fell open slightly. What the hell was Lovino doing here?! He wasn't supposed to come here, he said he wasn't going to!

"Lovino, where are you?"

"The basement-shit, Toni, here, I can't look at that..."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Antonio's here with you?"

"Si, this is bad; that fucker back there got him and now his leg's bleeding. Oh, shit, I think it's broken."

He kneaded the bridge of his nose in frustration. So they ran into the monster, too...he hadn't expected this, it couldn't possibly end well.

"Feli."

"What...?"

"Gil and Yao are dead."

His eyes widened even further and all color in his face drained.

_I've lost...I-I've really lost...  
_

"Feliciano-kun, what is it?" Kiku asked, frowning slightly.

The Italian looked at the other two uneasily. Oh god, how does he tell them...?

All of a sudden, he heard loud thudding noises from the other end.

"What's going on over there?! Fratello!" He demanded, panicking. He heard the sound of running and his breath hitched in his throat.

"Oh my GOD, Feli, he got Toni!"

"What?!"

"TONI! FUCK!"

"Fratello, answer me!"

All he heard on the other end was a scream that was abruptly cut off.

Eyes wide with horror, the phone dropped from Feliciano's hand and he stood, rooted to the spot, completely pale. He trembled, eyes welling up as he twitched uncontrollably.

"Feliciano...?" Ludwig frowned, concerned.

"They're dead..."

"What?"

"They're all dead...Lovino...Gil...Yao...Antonio..."

The two others froze in shock, trying to process what he just said.

"R-really? You're serious...?" Kiku swore under his breath.

"FUCK! I WAS SO CLOSE!" Feliciano shouted furiously, punching a wall despite the searing pain of his bleeding knuckles. He leaned against the wall, forehead resting on the cool stone as he sobbed in frustration.

"What are you talking about...?" Ludwig asked, trying unsuccessfully to regain his composure.

"I'll kill him...I'll do it...he thinks he can steal from me, huh? I'm the Italian fucking Empire." Feliciano muttered, starting to crack.

Kiku grabbed his shoulder, eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about? Did you know about this?"

He started to snicker, eyes wide with a crazy sort of glee.

"You still don't get it...do you, Kiku...? Vehehe, I always thought you were smarter than this~"

The Japanese man stepped back, hand moving to the handle of his katana.  
Ludwig clenched his fists, icy blue eyes burning as he watched the Italian's sanity unravel.

The crazed smirk fell from his face as he adopted a look of seriousness; a look of hopelessness.

"Don't you get it...? It's my fault."

* * *

_Yao's leg gave out and he swore loudly, the fractured bone causing a wave of nausea to come over him. _

_He dropped his weapon, falling to the ground as he grit his teeth through the agony of his multiple wounds.  
_

_"Damn it, aru...damn it all..."  
_

_He choked out, contorting his face even as he heard Ivan shout, trying to avenge his fallen comrade. He let out a whimper, hearing the Russian's cry of pain and the thud as he hit the floor hard.  
_

_The monster didn't even do him the mercy of finishing him off, leaving him to listen as it's heavy footsteps faded into the distance.  
_

_"Ivan...?"  
_

_He croaked, receiving no reply from the other. He was already dead. With his final breath, Yao let out a tired sigh, closing his eyes as everything faded away.  
_

* * *

Arthur crouched on the wooden floor, carving the beginning of an incantation circle into the floorboards carefully. His shoulders hunched as he set out to bring the American back.

He frowned slightly, frustrated, recalling that he had no idea what was going on.

This feeling of helplessness...he didn't like it.

He could get the feeling that the answers he sought so persistently after were at the tip of his tongue, he was almost there.

He had to be.

"Alfie...I'm coming..."

* * *

_England stood, bloodied and broken, casting the spell to turn back time even after Italy's death. _

* * *

Think...

* * *

_America cried out in protest, even as the room exploded around them._

* * *

THINK...

* * *

_Just like that, time rewrote itself; breathed air back into the lungs of those lost, but it was wrong. It wasn't supposed to happen like that; they should have escaped with Italy dead, no way to turn back. _

_A glitch in time itself happened, producing altered versions of them in their own timeline, the third, with false memories of their own to match.  
_

_They weren't real.  
_

_They were always doomed to fail.  
_

* * *

And suddenly, Arthur knew.

His eyes widened.

"What the bloody hell...? We're not...then who are...?"

Realization dawned on him at last, and he swore under his breath.

"Then Alfie's...with them...?"

He stood up, closing his eyes and repeating the incantation over and over again, a desperate grasp in the dark for his former colony, ally, and lover.

"What the fuck...?" Matthew walked into the room, watching from the doorway as the spell was cast.

* * *

Alfred blacked out completely, the last thing he heard being cries of confusion from the nations as he vanished from sight completely.

When he came to, he felt a sudden rush of warmth against him, and after his eyes adjusted he realized that Arthur was hugging him tightly.

Blushing slightly, surprised, he awkwardly hugged the Briton back. He noticed Matt eying him with what was either contempt, relief, or both.

" 'Bout time, you dumbfuck." The Canadian said, slipping out of the door.

"Love you too, bro.." Alfred rolled his eyes, straightening up as Arthur stepped back, grabbing his hand with a wild grin and practically dragging him out into the hallway, where Matt and Ivan waited impatiently to leave.

The four of them started off, trying to locate the others as soon as possible. Little did they know, they were too late to save most of them.

* * *

_Matt breathed out, exhausted, glancing over at Francis with a frown on his face._

_"So..this is it, huh?"  
_

_"I suppose so...It's been fun, Matthieu."  
_

_"Yeah...it has..."  
_

_The two of them turned to face the monster, nearly identical smirks spreading across their faces.  
_

_"I say we go out fighting, eh?"  
_

_"I desire nothing more, mon chere."  
_

_And with that, the two nations flung themselves at the monster, no fear of death left in them, the ferocity possessed only by broken men as they worked to take as many of them down with them, to avenge their friends and fallen allies.  
_

* * *

The small group; Alfred, Arthur, Ivan, and Matt; found their way through the upstairs room, figuring that they couldn't have gone too far. Hearing footsteps up ahead, Ivan called out,

"Feliciano! Kiku! Ludwig!"

The three turned to face them, blank looks on their faces.

"What...what happened?" Arthur raised an impressive eyebrow.

Feliciano regained his composure as much as possible before saying, "All of the others are dead."

Dead silence.

"My fratello and Antonio as well."

The Canadian's eyes widened. Oh god, Francis...?

"It's just us...?" Alfred frowned, eyes wide with shock.

"Si."

* * *

_Far too late, the Italian empire ran into their temporary shelter. His eyes widened and for the first time, he completely broke. _

_"Oh god...no..."  
_

_His eyes filled with tears at the sight of Ludwig and Gilbert, who lay splayed out and covered in blood.  
_

_He quickly ran to their side, his facade completely shattering as the truth dawned on him-he had lost. That bastard had taken everything from him.  
_

_"Ludwig. Ludwig, dammit, I'm commanding you to get up."  
_

_No response. The German's head lolled back limply, only adding to his panic.  
_

_"GODDAMMIT, MAN, I'M YOUR SUPERIOR. Wake up!"  
_

_His voice broke halfway through the order as he curled himself into a tight ball, hugging his knees.  
_

_"Y-You idiot..."  
_

_He looked up abruptly at the voice.  
_

_"Ludwig! You're alive?!"  
_

_"Eh..don't push your luck..."  
_

_"The others are dead; we have to get out of here right now!"  
_

_Feliciano frowned when the other stayed put.  
_

_"Sorry...I think you'll have to go on without me, boss..."  
_

_"What...? No, no, get up. I can't leave you here, he wants that-"  
_

_It took a moment for it to sink in, but Ludwig was already dead.  
_

_Silence hung in the stale air for a long moment before Feliciano let out a bloodcurdling scream, quickly shaking the German.  
_

_"NO! YOU CAN'T LEAVE, DAMN YOU! I HAVEN'T DISMISSED YOU YET; YOU'RE MINE TO KILL!"  
_

_He cried, doubling over and shaking with sobs.  
_

_"You...you little shit...you can't die on me..."  
_

* * *

"...What do we do now?"

The question, uttered by none other than the Italian himself, hung in the air for an instance before finally being answered by Ludwig.

"Er...well...there is a place we can go that is most likely safe..."

Kiku's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about, Ludwig-san?"

"You remember, don't you? Earlier, I was hiding in the closet. There was a room back there, I think it would make a good shelter."

"Let's go, then~?" Arthur chirped, although his expression had lost some of its mirth. Mutters of hesitant agreement sounded throughout the group as they all seemed to shuffle after the German in pursuit of a place to pull themselves together after the loss of their comrades.

* * *

Before them was a large room, filled with beds and supplies. Speechless with wonder, the nations looked around. Feliciano in particular gasped slightly, impressed, wondering if maybe none others would die...?

Maybe they could be able to turn back time again if they were lucky...

But...Lovino and Antonio hadn't been in the mansion in the first place...what if they didn't come back...?

"You...built this...?"

He murmured, eyes wide with surprise and awe. Ludwig shrugged.

"Most of it was already done by the time I got here, I just added a bit here and there."

"Oh...still..."

Kiku broke up the conversation with an arched eyebrow.

"I think we should all get some sleep. It's been a long day, no doubt.."

"Si, I agree."

There were no objections to this, the others either nodding wearily or muttering their replies.

Feliciano felt his throat close up slightly when, after they decided upon sleeping arrangements, he saw that they had three extra beds.

Beds that the others would have slept in.

Beds that his brother and Antonio could have slept in.

But they never would.

Noticing his expression, Kiku made a rather uncharacteristic and surprising suggestion.

"I think we should all move the beds together tonight."

The others all turned to stare at him.

"You're serious?" Matt frowned slightly, although he didn't object.

Equally surprising, none of them seemed to voice any problems with this, and they shoved all of the beds together.

* * *

_Another time, another place. He saw himself running through the hall with an old, withered book clutched in his hand-but no, it wasn't him. _

_Not quite; he saw himself, his uniform sporting blue with crimson splatters, his hair a lighter shade, and his eyes a light brown.-No, no, it was him again. _

_The expression of fear and grief that had haunted the apparition's face had been gone, replaced with one of unsuppressed blood lust, hatred, even. A desire for vengeance._

_He had reached the front hall, the place where it all began, and launched himself at the door, quickly reuniting the long sought key into the lock and turning, pulling the door out and stumbling into the rain.  
_

_Was he crying? The droplets of water on his cheeks could not be his own. No, they were not. They were shed by the other him.  
_

_He continued forward weakly, stopping at the edge of the accursed estate before turning to see the grey monster standing at the doorway; watching, waiting.  
_

_He turned fully, mind still vague.  
_

_"You..."  
_

_He felt word spilling from his tongue-questioning, asking why. _

_Why had the creature let him of all people live, why didn't it take him instead...  
_

_No, the words felt wrong, as if they were not his own.  
_

_He heard his own voice, so much more clearly, as the terrified voice of the other faded.  
_

_At last, Feliciano spoke, eerily calm.  
_

_"Impressive. I've never been beaten before, but you..." _

_Faltering as the mask slipped, he went on after taking a ragged breath.  
_

_"...You have some nerve, you know that? Vehe, how stupid."_

_ He laughed, lips curled back into a smirk that hid pure rage as he shook, clenching his fists.  
_

_"What makes you think that you can steal from me? That you can steal my enemies...my allies...my favorite..." _

_His voice shook with an insane fury as he laughed a cruel, humorless bark that rang out far too loudly.  
_

_"You're such a fool...nobody defies the Italian Empire and gets away with it...nobody..." _

_His eyes hardened when he heard no response, no snort of defiance, whimper of fear, or nod of obedience that he was so used to.  
_

_"I...I won't allow this..." His eyes blazed as his gaze traveled to the book. He gestured to it, practically waving it in the beast's face frantically.  
_

_"Take them back."  
_

_...  
_

_"NOW! I lost, so it's my turn to choose now, isn't it?" He shouted. The monster eyed him with what may have been...amusement?  
_

_That was all he knew._

* * *

In the middle of the night, Feliciano's eyes snapped open as he awoke with a cold sweat. He breathed heavily, knowing it to have been a dream.

He remembered well that it had happened as if it had only just, but...the more he thought about it, he couldn't explain the odd flashes, the unexplainable changes in his memory.

Almost as if...

...it was a lie...

No, that was absolutely ridiculous; how would that even work?

How could his own memory be betraying him? Haha, it was just laughable to think. But...then again...he had once considered the possible of any of them, much less his own brother dying to be equally silly.

He glanced around, relieved to find that the others were still there. At the very edge of the mass of beds and blankets was Matt, who looked as if he was trying to stay as far away from the others as possible, pulling his blankets around himself.

To his right were Alfred and Arthur, who lay in eachother's embrace, sharing body heat.

Or, to be more specific, Alfred was practically latched onto the Briton, shoulders squared in a fiercely protective stance, and Arthur's face was buried in the American's chest, as if he were a big teddy bear.

Nearby to them, Ivan lay on his back, his blanket on the floor after having apparently kicked it off.

Feliciano noted with amusement that Kiku's foot was currently laying on his own chest, the Japanese nation's head laying on the Russian's stomach as he stretched out between them.

Ludwig was on the Italian's other side, on his side with his back turned to him.

Feliciano's lips curled back into a small, rare genuine smile as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

At the morning's light, the nations were all up again, sitting around the table. They discussed plans for escape, both Arthur and Feliciano looking uncomfortable with the information that they each knew.

Finally, Kiku brought it to everyone's attention.

"Arthur-kun, Feliciano-san, you've been awfully quiet. Do you have anything to say?"

The two in question eyes one another with a look of knowing and understanding.

"I'll go first?" Suggested the Italian.

"Yes, go ahead."

* * *

Silence filled the room instantly after his explanation.

"_WHAT?_" Matt demanded. "Are you messing with us, 'cause this isn't funny."

"Completely." Feliciano replied, unflinching. "I wish I was. I really do. Bit, I guess I'm not that lucky.."

Kiku walked over, placing his hands on the table directly in front of the Italian and leaning in to his face, surveying it as if to search for signs of a lie. He found nothing.

Arthur shifted uncomfortably, feeling that, after that news, his information would only make things worse.

Almost as if hearing his thoughts, the Japanese man turned to look at him in an almost accusatory manner, raising an eyebrow as if to prod him forward.

"...We aren't real."

Matt threw his hands up in exasperation, letting out a groan of frustration.

"Are you fucking serious?! We just aren't gonna get a break today, now, are we?!"

His facade of rage faltered for a moment, to be replaced by a look of tired anguish. He couldn't take any more of this...

Ivan frowned.

"What do you mean by that, comrade?" He asked, oddly nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Don't ask me how I know this, but our entire lives...it's just a glitch in time. There were others before us, and we're them, just...not quite them. Does that make sense?"

Matt laughed humorlessly, looking quite deranged.

"Oh, yeah, of-fucking-course that explains everything!"

Alfred eyes his twin, shooting him a warning glance as he clenched his fist tightly.

Really, the only reason he hadn't already attacked him was because he was his brother. Had he been anybody else, he'd be on the floor right now.

Arguments began to break out amongst the group, which continued for a moment before Feliciano finally snapped.

"All of you shut the fuck up already!" He shouted, eyes blazing. The others seemed to almost jump slightly in surprise, startled by the Italian's outburst.

"I'm sick of this; let's just figure out how to go back and fix this."

Ludwig sighed. "Ja, Felici-_Boss_ is right."

Kiku arched an eyebrow, a slight smirk gracing his features with a mischievous glint in his eye. Something was going on, now, wasn't it~?


End file.
